Endless
by Voroshilov93
Summary: "We are Endless. It means that we are ones without end" The Loveless story starting from volume 7 as seen through the eyes of Jens and Falco, aka Endless, two brothers who possess a very unique ability that no other fighter/sacrifice pair has. Spoilers for volume 7 onwards. Rated T for Language. Please read and review!
1. Chapter 1

"Endless" Ch. 1

"Hey Jens, I think your phone is going off" said the golden haired boy to his older brother.

The Blackberry's Guster ringtone could be heard playing softly from the living room.

"Who could be calling me at this hour?" the tall, brown haired boy wondered aloud.

Jens ran from his bedroom into the living room, his hair still wet from the shower, and a towel hanging around his neck. He was 19 and of a slim build, but still in great shape. He still retained the telltale ears and tail that marked him as a virgin, as did his younger brother, Falco, who walked in from the kitchen. Falco, 16, was built like his older brother, slender, but not as tall. His hair was golden in color, and he wore it longer than his brother did.

"Huh? I don't recognize the number" stated Jens, answering the phone. "Hello?"

"Jens?" asked a high-pitched voice on the other side of the line.

The voice was unmistakable; it belonged to Nagisa Sagan. But why would she be calling? And at such a late hour too.

"How did you get this number?" Jens inquired of his former guardian and mentor.

"I have my ways" replied the shrill voice.

"So why are you calling me? I can only guess it's because you want something from us, right?"

"Well, yes. Do you remember Soubi Agatsuma?"

"Of course, Ritsu's slave that he handed over to that Seimei Aoyagi. I heard that Seimei's no longer with us though"

Soubi Agatsuma. Now that was a name Jens hadn't heard in a long time. They had been at the Seven Moons Academy. Jens had been friends of sorts with Soubi, even though he disliked his submissive attitude. Soubi was Ritsu's favorite student, since Soubi did exactly what was told of him; including letting Ritsu take his ears. Then shortly after, he was given to Seimei Aoyagi. Now Seimei was dead, burned alive in an elementary school. Jens and Falco both had read about it in the news. They could only identify him by his dental records.

"That's right. But did you hear that he has joined a new Sacrifice?" asked Nagisa.

"What do you mean he's with a new sacrifice?" asked Jens of the voice on the phone.

"Seimei died and now he's acting as the fighter for his little brother." replied the shrill voice on the other end of the line.

"Do we know his little brother?"

"I doubt it. His name is Ritsuka Aoyagi. He's an elementary student, 12, I think"

"Wow, big age difference. Soubi's what? 20? And you're right. The name's not ringing any bells. What about you Falco, do you know anyone by the name of Ritsuka Aoyagi?" called Jens to his golden haired brother sitting across the room from him.

"The last name sounds familiar, is he related to that Seimei guy?" answered Falco.

"Yup, it's his little brother. I'm talking to Nagisa-sensei. I'll put her on speaker" Jens clicked the speaker phone button on his Blackberry, and Nagisa's voice could now be heard by both brothers.

"Good. This involves the both of you anyway" said Nagisa.

"In what way?" asked Jens and Falco in unison.

"Well I'm in a difficult position here. Ever since we discovered Soubi had joined with Ritsuka, we've been trying to get them to come to the Academy. Breathless was sent first. They failed to reach our expectations to bring them here."

Breathless. Ai and Midori. The brothers met the two when they were still students at the Academy. While they had shown promise as a pair, they certainly weren't suited to face off against Soubi. Why would the Seven Moons send such an inexperienced team to retrieve Soubi and his new sacrifice?

"Well what did you expect? Soubi is probably the best fighter to pass through the Academy. Breathless is hardly a match for the likes of him," said Jens.

"We realized that. Sleepless was sent out next. They weren't successful either. So I decided to send Youji and Natsuo."

A surprised look came across the brothers' faces. Youji and Natsuo. Zero. The genetically engineered team that could not feel pain. Practically Jens and Falco's siblings, since Nagisa had raised all of them together after the death of Jens and Falco's parents. They were incredibly hard to face in battle, though it was possible to defeat them, if one knew how to use their gift against them. Could they have really lost to Soubi? "By the tone of your voice, I'm guessing they failed too?" inquired Jens.

"Unbelievably, yes. Even worse he took them on by himself, without his sacrifice!"

"You're joking? Either he's incredibly talented or incredibly stupid, and knowing Soubi, it's the former"

"Yes, it seems that he lowered the temperature in the battle domain enough that they almost froze to death."

"Well that's one way to do it. They don't notice the change, and before they know it their bodies begin to shut down. So did they come back afterwards?" Falco thought to ask this since the boys would most likely be too afraid of facing Nagisa after being defeated.

"Nope, oddly enough they stayed with Soubi for a while. If he hadn't offered to put them up him, they probably would be dead."

"That sounds like something Soubi would do" said Jens with a smile, which turned to a frown when he thought about the fact that Nagisa would have stood by and left Youji and Natsuo, essentially her two children, to die. "And you just like you to not give a damn about what happens to those boys."

"You watch yourself when you're talking to me!" shouted Nagisa through the phone, making Falco jump.

"Don't piss her off!" Falco mouthed to Jens.

"I am not a child, Nagisa," said Jens coolly. "So are they still with Soubi now?"

"Not anymore, they're home now. I told them they could come back."

"So who did you send out next?"

"Well I sent out the female Zero pair, Kouya and Yamato. They managed to defeat Soubi when he took them on alone, but they were defeated themselves when they faced Soubi and Ritsuka as pair. Apparently Yamato's name disappeared and she started to feel pain. I haven't heard anything from them since then. I'm assuming they're going off the grid."

Jens thought about all of this for a moment. So one of Nagisa's projects failed? It was true that Kouya and Yamato were the trial batch for the Zero pair, with Youji and Natsuo being the refined final product. While they had more imperfections, the female Zeros were supposed to be more experienced, or so Jens had been told. He had never seen or spoken to them. Could all of these teams have been defeated by Soubi? It was true that he was a superb fighter, but Ritsuka was just a child, inexperienced.

"They were the last team we have sent out, since it seems Soubi and Ritsuka are becoming impossible to defeat," finished Nagisa.

"I still don't see what this has to do with us," said Falco, growing seemingly bored.

"I was getting to that!" snapped Nagisa "I want the two of you to bring Soubi and Ritsuka here"

"No" said Jens

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'NO'?" shouted Nagisa. Her high pitched voice had gone from unpleasant to nearly unbearable. Falco winced as she shouted a string of obscenities through the phone at his older brother.

"Just exactly as I said," Jens said calmly. "I have no reason to fight Soubi, or his sacrifice, whom I've never even met."

Jens knew that Nagisa did not like to be told "no" but the last thing he or his brother needed to get involved with was a mess involving the Seven Moons. He had left that life behind, hadn't he? He and his brother had left the Academy two years ago. They had cut off all ties to anyone there. They had started a new life. But then again, he had always wanted to face Soubi when he belonged to "Beloved". That was Seimei Aoyagi's true name, though it didn't seem to fit him, as he was known to be ruthless in battle, and was despised by many, or so he had been told. Jens and Falco had heard the stories about how "Beloved" was impossible to beat. It just couldn't be done. But then again the same was said about Jens and Falco. "Endless" had never been defeated either.

"Jens, are you still there? Answer me!" shrieked Nagisa.

"Yes, we're still here" answered Jens.

"Have you considered just asking them to come to academy? You know you don't always have to resort to violence," Falco said.

"We sent a memo with Sleepless for Ritsuka to meet with us online" replied Nagisa, "Nana was able to make contact with him, as was Ritsu and myself"

"Maybe if you would be patient, you might find that Ritsuka will come on his own" said Jens.

"But what if he doesn't? Then what are we supposed do then?" asked Nagisa

"Give it time. If he is still with Soubi by this point, and has made contact with you online, I think he has at least _some_ interest in what's going on around him" replied Jens.

"Damn you Jens! You're so stubborn!" retorted Nagisa, her voice still shrill, but at least she wasn't screaming.

Jens smiled at this. It was true that he _did_ have a knack for getting under Nagisa's skin.

"You know that I'm right. But I tell you what, Falco and I can come up to Goura to spend some time with you. Not to mention that we know Natsuo and Youji miss us" said Jens.

"It would be fun to get out of town for a day or two. I'm tired of just sitting here at home rotting of boredom" chimed in Falco.

"No you two just stay where you are. If you aren't going to do what I ask of you then I don't want to see you!" answered Nagisa, now beginning to sound like a pouting child.

"Okay have it your way. Before I hang up there is one question for you: What is Ritsuka Aoyagi's true name?" inquired Jens

"Oh that? I almost forgot to tell you. Yes, his true name is 'Loveless'" answered Nagisa

"'Loveless' eh? Interesting. Well good night Nagisa-sensei" said Jens, reaching for his phone sitting on the coffee table.

"Wait! I'm not done talking to yo-"CLICK

Nagisa's voice was cut short by Jens clicking the end call button on his Blackberry. He leaned back on the black leather sofa and looked up at the ceiling.

"You know, even after hearing her voice for all of these years, she never ceases to give me one hell of a headache" sighed Jens, now speaking to his brother in German.

This was normal for the two brothers. After all, they _were _German. They had both been born in Munich, and had moved to Japan with their parents when Jens was 9 and Falco was 6. To any of their friends, they spoke Japanese. After years of speaking it, their Japanese by this time was almost completely accent free.

"No one pisses her off quite like you" laughed Falco.

"No one tells us anything anymore unless they _need_ something from us. Seimei Aoyagi's death? We read about it in the news. And now Soubi's new sacrifice? Apparently they have been together for some time now, and of course we're just now hearing about it. But that name is interesting" said Jens.

"What? 'Loveless'? Yeah, I guess so. Pretty weird that Seimei's name was 'Beloved' and this Ritsuka's is 'Loveless'. Complete opposites" responded Falco, now sounding slightly more interested than before.

"I know we told her no, but Nagisa did spark my interest a bit. Think about it: a fighter going to a new sacrifice. That's unheard of. But then again, Soubi is a 'blank slate' isn't he? You know what? I think we should go to Goura anyway. It's been almost two years after all" said Jens.

"I know what you're thinking, and I like it!" replied Falco, his devious nature now beginning to show.

"We'll leave the day after tomorrow. We can surprise Nagisa. Damn it's late, almost 1:30. I think I'm going to call it a night" said Jens, now walking upstairs to his bedroom.

"Yeah me too, I'm feeling pretty beat after finishing my exams today. How'd yours go by the way?" asked Falco.

"Eh, not too bad, just took forever. How about yours?"

"I'm positive that I did well on them, but it would be nice if they didn't ask so many questions"

"They're meant to be like that. Those professors get a kick out of seeing their students squirm" Jens said, jokingly.

"Yeah, I forgot how sadistic they are! Anyway, good night Jens"

"Good night" Jens yawned.


	2. Chapter 2

Endless: Chapter 2

The brothers left early, around 8, for the long trip to Goura. Jens opted to take the Mercedes, since snow was in the forecast for the next few days, and some of the entrance roads at the Academy could get pretty precarious if the weather wasn't decent. The G's four wheel drive would be able to soak up any punishment that the roads could dish out.

Jens offered to drive the first half of the time it would take for the 8 hour trip, and then he'd hand over the wheel to his brother. The traffic wasn't bad at all today, and Jens was enjoying the quiet drive. Falco sat in the passenger seat next to him, reading a novel. Pink Floyd's "Echoes" was playing over the Mercedes' stereo.

"Love this song" mentioned Falco, not looking up from his book.

"Yeah, me too. Such a shame that most people are put off by how long it is."

"Most songs don't go on for 23 minutes."

"True. But it's beautiful to listen to, if you have the patience"

"Seems like we've got another 4 hours to listen to this song" laughed Falco.

"Let's not" said Jens with a grin, "I'm getting a little hungry. You wanna stop somewhere and get something to eat?"

"Yeah I suppose. We can switch over after we stop"

"Sounds good to me, where you wanna stop at?"

"If we want to make good time maybe we should just get a something light at a rest station. Besides, we need to get gas"

The brothers drove on for a few more miles until Jens pulled the SUV into a gas station. Falco went in to the convenience store and picked out a few snacks and drinks for himself and his brother. Jens stood by the Mercedes, blowing warm air into his hands. While it was December, he was still surprised at how cold the weather had gotten recently. He opened the rear passenger door, pulled out his woolen pea coat and quickly put it on.

"Getting cold out isn't it?" noted Falco, returning from the store with a plastic bag filled with refreshments in one arm and two cups of steaming coffee in the other.

"Just a bit" Jens replied, chattering his teeth slightly.

"At least you're wearing that hat of yours"

Falco was referring the grey field cap that Jens often wore when the weather turned cold. Jens had bought it online years ago. The hat was styled after the popular field caps worn by German soldiers.

"Hey, I like this hat! Gotta wear something to keep my ears warm. Where's that beanie of yours at? You should dress warmly too, you know"

"I'm already wearing a coat. And I left the beanie back at the house. So what's the big deal if I'm not wearing a hat?" questioned Falco

"Heat escapes the most through your head" said Jens in a matter-of-factly tone. "That coffee smells great! Did they have a Starbucks in there?"

"Uh-huh. I even got what you like: dark roast, black"

"Thank you!" said Jens enthusiastically, taking the steaming cup from his brother.

"No problem. I got pretzels and some Pocky, which do you want?"

"Let's split the Pocky. You ready to go?"

"Yeah, give me the keys"

Falco made himself comfortable behind the wheel and turned the key in the ignition. The Mercedes' engine roared to life. Jens bit down on a Pocky stick and took a sip of his coffee. Falco put the SUV into gear and drove onto the highway.

"So I got to thinking: what a strange place to burn someone alive. I mean seriously? An elementary school classroom?" Falco said, sounding disgusted, but at the same time intrigued.

"Yeah, wonder who he pissed off" muttered Jens, "That's a pretty brutal way to get rid of someone"

"And then they said he could only be identified by his dental records. The rest of his body was so charred they couldn't get anything off of him, not even DNA"

Jens was about ready to say something back about that when he had a disturbing thought. What if that wasn't Seimei Aoyagi that was burned alive that day. If they knew what they were doing, someone could switch dental records around, couldn't they? It suddenly seemed so possible that Seimei could have faked his own death. But why? It wasn't to frame anyone, at least not that Jens or Falco had been told. No suspects had been arrested or questioned, they would have heard about that at least. Jens shared this thought with his brother.

"It doesn't make sense, why would he feel that he needed to disappear like that?" wondered Falco aloud at his brother's suggestion, "You're right, it is certainly possible. All he'd need to do is get the dental records for the poor bastard who died in his place"

"So the real questions would be: why would he do it, and where is he now?" Jens remarked.

The black Mercedes sped along the highway, getting closer and closer to Goura and the Seven Moons. Falco switched the song playing on the stereo to Rammstein's "Ein Lied." Jens enjoyed this song: it was nice and soothing, something unusual for Rammstein. Falco kept his eyes on the road, and Jens read his own novel, still thinking in the back of his mind about the distant possibility that Seimei Aoyagi could still be alive. He and his brother would soon discover that this possibility would soon become a reality.


	3. Chapter 3

"Endless" Ch. 3

The black Mercedes continued on its route, entering a wooded area. Goura, home of the Seven Moons Academy, was getting close. Soon Falco could spot the familiar campus across the small lake that separated it from the highway. While at first glance the group of buildings resembled a college campus, some of its security measures could be seen from the road Jens and Falco were driving on. Iron bars surrounded the perimeter in some places, and in others concrete walls concealed the Academy from prying eyes. The more advanced security systems could not be seen from far away, such as the various cameras the littered the grounds around the campus, or the complex gate systems that could only be accessed by passcode. The school was familiar to the brothers, as it had been their home for almost 7 years. Jens was just a child of 10 years when he came to live there, with Falco only being 6. They had left the Academy two years ago, and now they were coming back.

"Guess I can go ahead and take this off" Jens said, looking down at the black leather bracelet on his right wrist.

"Oh yeah! No need to keep these on now" answered Falco, motioning to take off the brown bracelet on his left wrist.

Jens undid the two buttons on his bracelet, revealing the letters that marked themselves around his wrist. They spelled out "ENDLESS." This was the brother's true name, the name that marked them as pair bound by destiny and as a fighter/sacrifice unit. An identical marking revealed itself around Falco's wrist. The brothers looked at their names, and then at each other, grinning.

"I still remember the day our names appeared, clear as day. I was 12" Jens recalled

"Me too, we were both so excited! It meant that we really were bound together. An unstoppable force, endless victory"

"Endless sight" Jens added

What he meant by this was the gift that made them so unique. Their ability to peer into the minds of others. Jens discovered this ability when he was just 6. Falco was only 5 when he too realized that he could read another person's thoughts. At first it was uncontrollable. All they had to do was look into a person's eyes and then they would immediately know what that person was thinking. Eventually they were able to control it, the ability being completely selective. Jens was even able to develop it further, possessing the skill to influence another's thoughts and actions by way of suggestion, though he rarely had the opportunity to use it.

"So how do you think Nagisa-sensei will react to us coming here unannounced?" inquired Falco of his brother

"Ah, I imagine that she is expecting us to come, even though she told us not to. She knows we don't follow orders all too well" said Jens with a laugh

"I wonder how everyone is doing. I can't imagine too much has changed in two years"

"Well we know Nagisa-sensei hasn't changed" Jens recalled, thinking of the phone conversation they had with Nagisa 2 days ago.

"Heh, she probably still dresses like a little girl. Always thought it was so weird that she dressed like that"

Nagisa was notorious for wearing outfits that made her look like a child. Princess outfits, frilly dresses and the like. It seemed that she was constantly trying to make herself look younger, even though she was a woman of over 30 years in age.

"What about Ritsu-sensei?" Falco added

"I'm sure he's the same bastard that he was when we left" Jens answered coldly

"Still bad blood between you two eh? Not that I blame you. What he did to you was bad enough, but then what he tried to do to you was even worse"

"I don't want to talk about that, okay? Ritsu-sensei and I have an understanding. He knows not to cross certain lines with me, and in return, I don't try to kill him. Simple enough"

"Alright, I know, I'm sorry" Falco replied, sounding slightly hurt

"Don't do that." Jens said, now feeling bad for snapping at his brother, "I'm not angry. There's no need for you to apologize. It's just a painful memory."

"I know" Falco said quietly, putting his hand on his brother's shoulder, "Oh, I think we're here."

The SUV passed between the two stone pillars that stood on either side of the steep road that led up to the hotel that served as the entrance to the Academy. On the right side of the road stood a sign that read "Shichisei Gakuen:" this was it, they were back.

Falco found a parking space near the hotel's entrance. The brothers grabbed their small duffel bags that held their luggage for the next couple of days that they planned to stay at the Academy. There was still a hint of daylight outside, so they had arrived with plenty of time even if the school had night exercises planned. Jens and Falco walked in and approached the main desk.

"Good evening, what can I do for you two gentlemen?" asked the young female attendant sitting behind the desk

"Ah yes, my brother and I are going to need accommodations for the next few days" Jens stated politely

"Names?"

"Jens Koenig and Falco Koenig, and our name is 'Endless.' We are previous students of the Seven Moons Academy"

The attendant looked down at her computer and began typing in their information. She paused for a moment for the results to load up and then looked up at the Jens and Falco.

"Alright we have two options for the two of you. We have a single bed suite that is currently vacant, or you can stay in your old accommodations"

The brothers looked at each other. Their old accommodations?

"If our old room is still available, we'll just stay there"

"Very well then" the attendant nodded "Yes it seems someone was expecting both of you. The room was just prepared yesterday"

"Told you she was expecting us" Jens whispered to Falco, who smiled.

"If you will just leave your luggage there on the cart, it will be delivered to your rooms"

"Sounds good, thank you"

"Here are your key cards" said the attendant, handing two small plastic cards to Jens and Falco "You may now pass through the entrance. There aren't any night exercises scheduled until tomorrow so feel free to roam around"

Jens and Falco were just about to walk away when the phone at the service desk rang. The attendant answered and after a small exchange of words over the phone, she signaled for the brothers to stay at the desk. After another small conversation, the attendant hung up the phone.

"That was Nagisa-sensei. The two of you are to report immediately to her office. Apparently she wishes to speak with you"

"Understood, thank you for your assistance" Jens said to the attendant.

Jens and Falco passed through the double doors that were the entrance to the Academy. They would have to cross the courtyard at the center of the campus that separated the old school building and the new building. After the new building was constructed, the old one was converted to serve as an administrations and security building. That was where Nagisa-sensei's office was located.

"So what do you think she wants to talk to us about?" Falco asked Jens

"Who knows? Probably to chew us out for coming out here even though she told us not to, or for waiting so long to come back. But I suppose it's all okay since we want to talk to her as well, right?"

"Well our room was prepared in advance, even though we said we weren't originally coming out here, so maybe she will be happy to see us"

"Maybe you're right. You know nothing seems to have changed since the day we left." Jens noticed

"Yeah, feels just like home" Falco smiled

The brothers came to the rear access doors that led out the courtyard. They both thought it odd that no one had come to escort them. That was generally normal practice. In fact the hallways seemed pretty deserted. It was only six, so they figured there would be at least some activity around this area. Jens was just about to unlatch the door that led outside when a voice called out to them from behind.

"Hey! Wait up!"

"Huh?" The pair turned around as the owner of the voice came running towards them. He was followed behind by a young girl.

The boy finally reached Jens and Falco. He was around 12 or 13 years old, and had green hair. The girl that followed him was around the same age, and had a messy orange hair. The brothers instantly recognized the two as Midori and Ai, the team known as Breathless.

"So who are you two, the welcoming committee?" Falco asked playfully.

"More or less. This is our week to act as guides" Midori said, trying to catch his breath, "May I say welcome back. It's good to see the two of you again."

"Same to the both of you. You guys have grown since we saw you last" Jens remarked with smile on his face "I take it you have been faring well?"

"Well we were called back after our fight with Soubi. I'm guessing the both of you have heard about that?"

"Yes, we heard about that. In any case we heard that you gave him and his new sacrifice a run for their money" Falco said encouragingly.

"He won't be able to beat us so easily next time. We're still getting stronger here." Ai said, her over-confidence showing

"I'm sure you are" Jens said. "So are you two going to escort us then? It seems Nagisa-sensei wishes to speak with us"

"Really? We were just told to take you guys to your room. But if Sensei wishes to see you, then we better get moving" Midori said, stepping past Jens and Falco and opening the door.

Jens walked out first, bracing himself against the icy wind that seemed to blow more harshly up here in the mountains. Falco walked out next, followed by Ai and Midori. They all walked together across the courtyard, Midori and Ai taking the lead, while Jens and Falco followed closely behind. The brothers looked around the courtyard, which seemed to have been re-landscaped since they had last been here. At the center was a large stone fountain, which was shut off in order to prevent damage by freezing. Large evergreen trees lined the borders of the courtyard, hiding the stone walls and iron bars from view. Over to the right, a gazebo and stone benches had been put in place as a place for students to gather when they weren't in class. Over the treetops, the sun was beginning to set. Night was fast approaching.

"So why did you guys come back? Were you ordered to?" Ai asked

"Nope, just here for a visit" Falco responded, "We thought we'd stay up here for a few days and catch up with friends. We also needed to speak with Nagisa-sensei about some recent news we've received"

"What sort of news?" Midori asked inquisitively

"News regarding Soubi and his new sacrifice. We already knew that Seimei Aoyagi died, but we were surprised to learn that Soubi had moved on to a new sacrifice. Though that's old news to the two of you. Not that we're surprised that Sensei waited this long to tell us about it." Jens said flatly

"Wonder why she waited so long to tell you. So did she want you to fight them?"

"She asked us to, but Jens said no. But that doesn't mean we weren't interested in what's been going on lately" Falco answered "So that's pretty much why we're here"

"YOU TOLD HER NO?" Midori and Ai asked, shocked

"Haha yeah. She wasn't too happy with us about that" Jens laughed

The group finally reached the entrance to the old school building. Midori stepped over to the door and punched a code into the keypad next to it. The sound of the door unlocking was heard and Midori turned the handle, pulling it open.

"After you" Midori said politely

Jens and Falco stepped through the entrance, followed by Ai and Midori, who pressed a large red button on a panel next to the door inside. The resounding clang of the door re-locking itself echoed through the hallway, which was lined all the way down with doors. The four walked down the hallway until they came to an elevator. Midori pushed the "Up" button and with a ding, the elevator door slid open. They all stepped inside. The green haired boy punched in yet another code, finishing with the number "6" for the sixth floor.

"Geez is everything passcode protected now?" Jens asked

"Oh yeah, they installed a bunch of security measures just after the two of you left. That's why they have escorts now. Previous students won't know the codes" Midori informed

"Damn this place really is like a prison now" Jens muttered

The elevator stopped at the sixth floor and the group stepped off into the corridor. Unlike the main floor at which they all entered, this hallway had only three doors down its length, with a small window at the end of the hallway. Ai and Midori led the brothers two the second door on the right. Midori rang the doorbell on the speaker box, and a few seconds later, Nagisa's voice came through the speaker.

"Who is it?"

"It's Midori and Ai. We've brought Jens and Falco with us" Midori said into the mic.

"Alright, I'll unlock the door" Nagisa responded.

A click was heard near the door handle. Jens turned it and slowly opened the door. He and Falco both entered the room, which consisted of a living room connected to a kitchen. Against the wall in the living room were a large red sofa and two end tables. A coffee table and two red armchairs sat opposite the sofa. Jens and Falco stood quietly beside the door as Ai and Midori walked in. Footsteps could be heard from the small hallway between the living room and kitchen, and shortly after, Nagisa walked in. She wore an extravagant purple dress, which made her look younger than she was. This was her normal attire, and Jens and Falco were used to seeing her dressed like this.

"The two of you can leave now" Nagisa motioned to Midori and Ai.

"Yes Sensei" the two said in unison. They both waved goodbye to Jens and Falco.

"See you later. We have night exercises tomorrow so try and find us! We'd love to have a battle with you guys" Ai said, a smile on her face.

"Likewise. Good night!" said Jens and Falco

The door closed behind them as Midori and Ai left, leaving the brothers alone with Nagisa. She looked at them for a moment, and then did something surprising: she came up to them and gave them each a hug.

"It's good to see the both of you. Welcome home" she said quietly, smiling at them.


	4. Chapter 4

"Endless" Ch. 4

"Wait a minute; you think he's still _alive_?" Nagisa asked, sounding somewhat confused

Jens and Falco were sitting across from her on the sofa. Nagisa had just prepared some coffee, and all three held a steaming cup. Falco was slowly sipping his, while Jens swirled his, observing the dark brown liquid spin around in the cup.

"We're only saying it's a possibility. When a person burns up like that, it erases any DNA traces on the body. It essentially turns into a charcoal briquette. The only possible way to identify a body in that state is to compare dental records. In this case the teeth of victim matched the records of Seimei Aoyagi. However, there's a chance that the records could have been switched around, making it look like Seimei was the one who died." Jens explained to Nagisa

"But the snag we ran into was why? Why would Seimei fake his own death? We couldn't think of good reasons" Falco added "We were hoping you could shed some light on this for us, Sensei"

Nagisa looked down at her cup of coffee for a moment and then back up at Jens and Falco.

"We're not sure why he would want to do something like that. There's still a lot we don't know about Seimei. We know what he was like when he was still alive, but that's about it"

"What was he like then? We've only heard bits and pieces" asked Jens

"The guy was a creep. He was very cold towards just about everyone, and he hated to be touched. He was also abusive to Soubi, both physically and verbally. I imagine you've heard about how Seimei marked him right?"

"We knew that Soubi was a blank slate fighter, and that the sacrifice's name had to be written on him in order to make him theirs. But we never heard about how he did it"

"The neck. Seimei took a knife and carved it into his neck" Nagisa said coldly

Jens held his hand up to his own neck. That kind of pain, it must have been unbearable. How could someone do that to Soubi, and more importantly, why? Jens shuddered at the thought. It sickened him that his once friend was just handed over to a person that clearly didn't care for him. He felt anger for Seimei and sadness for Soubi, but this wasn't the time to get emotional. Jens still had questions.

"I see. So Seimei was quite a dark person then. That aside, how were they as a team? We heard that they were formidable opponents in a spell battle. Is that true?"

"Oh yes, second to none. I believe that together they would certainly be a match for the both of you. At least you know when to stop the battle before someone gets killed, but Seimei, no; he was ruthless"

"Odd that his name is 'Beloved,' since it seems that so many people hated him" Falco commented

"Indeed. There was something interesting that we found out by meeting with his brother Ritsuka. Apparently in his will, Seimei stated that Soubi now belongs to Ritsuka and that he was killed by the Seven Moons"

"Why would he want to blame his death on you? I'm sure you would have told us if the Seven Moons was responsible for his death, right?"

"Of course I would have. The Seven Moons did not order his death. If we would have, we certainly wouldn't have carried it out that way"

Jens held his head in his hand. There just wasn't enough information. It didn't make sense. If Seimei had indeed faked his own demise, it must have been for reasons outside their knowledge. He leaned back in the sofa and looked up at the ceiling.

"What are you thinking Jens?" Nagisa asked

"I don't know what to think. There aren't enough facts for us to work with. He could really be dead, or he could be alive. We won't know for sure until he actually shows his face"

Nagisa was just about to say something when there was a click heard from the door. It opened and entered two boys, one with wavy red hair and wearing an eye patch over his right eye, the other had long aqua colored hair. Jens and Falco grinned as they instantly recognized the pair. It was Natsuo and Youji.

"Hey guys!" Jens and Falco said to the Zeros

Both boys cried out when they realized who had greeted them. They both dove into the sofa at Jens and Falco, Natsuo tackle-hugging Jens, knocking the wind out of him, Falco laughing as Youji crashed into him. Nagisa looked bewildered at the scene of chaos on the sofa across from her. She only saw her Zeros act this way towards Jens and Falco. They brightened up like little kids around those two. But she shouldn't have been surprised; after all, the four boys had grown up together as siblings hadn't they? Her look of bewilderment changed into one of happiness, her dysfunctional family was back together.

"I can't believe it! You're back!" Natsuo cried as Jens returned his hug

"Yeah, why didn't you let us know you were coming home?" Youji asked, still latched onto Falco

"Sorry guys, we wanted to make it a surprise" Falco said ruffling Youji's hair

"How long are you staying?" asked Natsuo, still sprawled out in a hug on top of Jens

"We thought we'd stay a few days and spend some time with the two of you, so long as Nagisa-sensei says it's okay" Jens said, smiling at the red haired neko and then at Nagisa.

Nagisa smiled at this. Given how excited the boys were, how could she say no? She smiled and nodded.

"You two can take tomorrow off from your classes. I suppose given the circumstances, one day from school isn't going to cause any harm"

"YAAAY!" the Zeros shouted, unable to contain their joy. A day off of school _and_ a day with Jens and Falco? To them it was the perfect day.

"But you two need to get ready for bed now. It's late"

A look of disappointment came over the Zeros, who wanted to spend the evening with their closest friends that they hadn't seen in so long. They protested, but Nagisa cut them off and ordered them to get ready for bed. Jens and Falco gave them each a hug good night.

"Don't worry guys. We have the whole day tomorrow, alright?" Falco said reassuringly

Youji and Natsuo slowly walked to their room, dragging their feet, ears down.

"They really missed us didn't they?" Jens said with a laugh

"It's no wonder, you've been gone two years, remember?" Nagisa said, her tone slightly bitter "The two of you can go now. Your room has already been prepared"

"Oh, th-thank you, Sensei" Jens said, sounding slightly unsettled by Nagisa's comment, "Good night then"

"Night"

* * *

Jens and Falco opened the door to their dormitory and turned on the light. More or less it had a similar layout to Nagisa's office and apartment, albeit smaller. At the entrance was the living room, furnished with a brown suede sofa and coffee table. A television was mounted to the wall opposite the couch. Connected to the living room was a small kitchen, complete with a table and four chairs. A short hallway that diverted left of the living room was lined with three doors. One was for Jens and Falco's bedroom, one for the small bathroom, and the last one, skinnier, was a small hall closet. Surprisingly, the dormitory was almost exactly the same as they had left it two years earlier.

"I can't believe she kept it like this" Falco said, shocked that the school wouldn't have moved someone else in after they left.

"Guess Nagisa thought we'd come back" Jens said with a smile

Nagisa had really cared for them, even giving them this dorm, which was much nicer than those that the other students lived in. Standard rooms consisted of just a bedroom and bathroom.

Jens and Falco opened the door to their bedroom, surprised that even the various Pink Floyd and Rammstein posters had been left intact. Anyone who came into this room would have thought that the owners had a strange taste in music. The room was simple, two full-sized beds, each flanked by a nightstand, and two identical dressers and wall mirrors. The brothers had shared the small sliding door closet that finished off the bedroom. Sitting on each of the brothers' beds were their duffle bags that they had left down in the lobby earlier.

"Guess we should go ahead and change into our night clothes" Falco suggested

"Alright, although I can't say I'm all that tired" Jens replied

"I know what you mean. My mind's still racing from our conversation with Sensei"

"Oh well, not much we can do about it at the moment. I'm going to change and then see if there's anything good on TV" Jens said with a sigh

"Sounds like a plan"

* * *

Falco plopped down on the sofa next to his brother. He wore a plain green hoodie and Adidas jogging pants. Jens was also wearing a pair of the same jogging pants, though his had a different striping pattern. For a shirt he wore a white long sleeve t-shirt that had "Ibanez" printed across the chest. Jens was flipping through the channels with a bored look on his face when a knock came at the door.

"I got it. Here see if you can find anything good on" Jens said, tossing the remote to Falco.

As Jens reached the door, he looked through the peephole. He laughed when he saw who was on the other side.

"Looks like we won't be getting much sleep tonight" Jens said to Falco "We have some guests"

Jens opened the door to Youji and Natsuo, each dressed in their night clothes. Natsuo was carrying a small wooden box while Youji held a large paper bag.

"Nagisa-sensei said we could stay with you guys tonight. It'll be like a sleep over!" Youji said enthusiastically

"Oh yeah? I get the feeling you two won't be sleeping much. That's okay though, we're not tired either. So what's in the bag?" Jens asked Youji

"Just a little something we smuggled out of Soubi's place before we left. We made sure Sensei didn't find it" said the aqua haired neko, smiling as he pulled out two six packs of Kirin lager cans, "You like beer right?"

Jens looked at Youji in comical disbelief, while Falco laughed hysterically from the sofa.

"Great, 12 years old and already drinking" said Jens with a small laugh "Give me one of those"

Jens grabbed a can from Youji, and was surprised that they had managed to keep it cold. Jens wasn't about to spoil the fun for the evening, considering that where he and Falco came from in Germany, beer could be drank at age 14 so long as a guardian was present. While Youji and Natsuo were only 12, Jens decided to turn a blind eye.

"Well we have beer, and Natsuo's got a poker set" Youji said, referring the wooden box Natsuo was holding. "You wanna play?"

Jens took a swig from the can and gave the Zeros a wicked smile "Sure, I get first deal."


	5. Chapter 5

Endless Ch. 5

"I'm all in" Youji said, groaning as he pushed what was left of his meager stack of chips into the center of the table.

What was supposed to be a fun game of poker between friends had turned into a four hour long struggle. By this time it was one in the morning. Falco had lost all of his chips about half way through the game and was now doing his best to stay awake, and the beer wasn't helping. Now Youji was all in, and was also beginning to wish that Jens and Natsuo would just call it quits. But they were both excellent players, having perfect poker faces, contrary to Falco, who would fidget in his chair and tap his fingers on the table when he had good hand, or Youji, who'd get a big grin on his face every time he'd get a good deal.

"Okay Jensy, how about we up the stakes? Whoever gets this hand wins" said Natsuo, sounding bored and ready to move on to something else.

"Right, I think these two would appreciate it" Jens replied, referring to Falco and Youji. He smiled at Natsuo calling him "Jensy." He and Youji always had called him that when they were little.

"Oh thank god" Falco said, resting his head in his hand

"Okay let's show 'em," Jens remarked "Watcha got Youji?"

"Two pair" said the aqua haired neko, sighing as he laid down his hand

"Not bad, but this is better" Jens said, revealing his own hand, "Ace-high straight. Beat that Tsun!"

"Aw shit." Youji said, smacking his head down on the table

Natsuo smiled a devilish smile "Quads!" he shouted triumphantly, slapping his cards down on the table

"Dammit" Jens cursed under his breath. He would have been more upset about his loss, but this was only a game, and they weren't playing for anything more than bragging rights. He was sort of glad it was over anyway; this was getting boring.

"Can we PLEASE do something else?" Falco asked, running his hand through his golden hair

"Okay, what do you guys want to do?"

"How about a movie?" Youji suggested

"Sure, that's fine. Find something on pay-per-view. I'll pay for it"

Youji jumped onto the sofa, grabbed the remote, and began flipping through the PPV menu. Normally students weren't allowed to order movies like this, but Jens would have more than enough to pay the school back. Soon Youji was joined on the sofa by the others. Jens sat on the far left, Falco next to him, while Natsuo took his place beside his sacrifice.

"You want to watch an American film?" Falco asked Youji as he scrolled through the American film section of the menu.

"Maybe. Their movies are pretty good, especially the comedies. Besides Tsun and I understand English well enough we can watch them without subtitles" Youji stated proudly

This was true. Not only was English taught at the normal schools in Japan, it was also taught at the Academy, and the Zeros could understand and speak it quite well. Jens and Falco, in addition to German and Japanese, could also understand and speak English, making them trilingual.

"Oh here's something. The two of you ever seen 'Superbad'?"

"Wasn't that the one we watched at Takuya's party?" Jens asked Falco

"I think so. Yeah it's pretty funny. I'm fine with watching that"

"Who's Takuya?" Natsuo asked

"He's a guy in one of our classes at school. He invited us to a party of his a while back" Falco replied

"Some party. Everyone was either busy getting laid or getting drunk off their asses" Jens added, laughing

"Hehe, I think you and I were in the latter group" Falco said, recalling the morning after when he had his head in the toilet

"So are we going to watch this or not?" Youji asked impatiently

"Yeah that's fine. Just don't let Nagisa-sensei know I let you two watch this. She'd probably disapprove of two 12 year olds watching an R-rated movie"

"Yeah, yeah, our lips are sealed" Youji replied, clicking the play button on the remote. A few seconds later, "Superbad" was playing.

The four friends didn't watch much of it though. Falco couldn't stay awake after downing more beers than anyone else, and decided to head off to bed. Jens himself had only one, and Natsuo and Youji each had two. Soon the three still awake began to talk of Jens and Falco's lives after they had left the Seven Moons, and of the Zeros' defeat at the hands of Soubi. Jens was deeply interested in this, still amazed that the pair had been defeated by a fighter on his own. The boys also told Jens everything they knew about Ritsuka, as well as their time that they spent living with Soubi.

"He claims to not be a pervert, but then he goes about kissing the kid" Youji said, remembering the multiple times he watched Soubi and Ritsuka play tonsil hockey.

"That is a little strange. Are they getting intimate at all?" Jens asked

Youji and Natsuo laughed "Why do you want to know? You get turned on by that kind of thing?"

Jens glared at the two, even though he knew they were only joking around, as they always were.

"That's not it! I'm just thinking that if it's nothing more than a kiss, maybe it's just to help strengthen the bond between the two. After all, they aren't bonded by the same name, right?"

Youji shrugged "Could be. But it's still weird"

"So how is Ritsuka in a spell battle? Or have you not seen it for yourselves?"

"We've never actually seen him in one. Soubi's fought almost everyone alone except for the rematch with 'Breathless' and the old hags"

By "Old hags" Youji was referring to the two female Zeros, whom he and Natsuo didn't even know existed until recently when they themselves were defeated as soon as their battle system expanded, the female Zeros putting Youji into a complete restraint.

"Yes, Nagisa did tell us about that"

"Youji and I tried to teach Ritsuka what we could about spell battles, but the only good way for him to learn by experience. Right now he's a novice" Natsuo added

"Understandable, since he was just tossed into all of this" Jens said, picking up a Rubik's cube and turning it in hands, "Still, Soubi is a superb fighter. If the two can establish a bond, they could be very formidable, just as it was when Soubi was with Seimei"

"How could they establish a bond? Soubi belongs to 'Beloved' right?" Youji asked

"Yes, but Soubi is a blank slate, remember? If the name could be erased somehow, he would no longer be bonded to Seimei, and could be claimed by Ritsuka as the 'Loveless' fighter. Given that, of course, he chooses Soubi over the actual 'Loveless' fighter" Jens said, trying to solve the Rubik's cube

"So if Ritsuka's true fighter is out there somewhere, does that mean that there was one for 'Beloved'?" asked Natsuo, he and Youji both now fascinated at this possibility. They both wondered what Ritsuka and Seimei's real fighters could be like, whether they would be male or female, or what their personalities could be like.

"Uh-huh" Jens answered, solving the cube.

"Can I try?" asked Youji "My fastest time with one of those is a minute and thirty two seconds"

"Sure, let me reset it for you"

Jens was just about to the aqua haired boy the multi-colored cube when he had an odd idea

"Actually you want to help me with a little experiment?" Jens asked Youji as he handed him the cube.

Youji tilted his head at this question "What sort of experiment?"

"Just sit facing me. You trust me right?"

"Uh, yeah..?" Youji said, wondering what exactly his friend was asking him to do. Natsuo looked over his sacrifice's shoulder, curious to what was going on. He munched on a Pocky stick.

Jens sat cross legged facing Youji on the sofa and placed his hands on his shoulders. Youji still held the Rubik's cube in his hands, an eyebrow raised at Jens' odd behavior.

"Listen if you're going to kiss me, that's fine, but I'd expect you to take me on a date beforehand"

"Oh please" Jens smiled, rolling his eyes. "Okay, I need you to clear your mind. Look into my eyes. Focus only on me. Without looking at it, when I say 'go', start solving the cube. Natsuo, keep time"

"Alright…" Youji closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and reopened them, staring into Jens' blue-grey eyes.

Jens stared back into Youji's eyes. He quietly said "go".

Youji began slowly turning and twisting the Rubik's cube. Natsuo continued to watch the scene unfolding before him with intense interest, counting off the seconds in his head as Jens had instructed. Youji still stared unblinking in Jens' eyes. His hands had now gone into a machine-like whirl as he rapidly rotated and twisted the cube until he stopped suddenly. Natsuo's jaw dropped, the half-eaten Pocky stick falling to the floor. Youji blinked once and looked at the solved cube in the palm of his shaking hand. Jens let go of his shoulders.

"Natsuo what was the time for that?" Jens asked the stunned red haired boy.

"Th-thirty three seconds" he stammered out. _What the hell just happened?_

"Not bad; what did you say your best time was Youji? A minute thirty two?"

"Y-yeah. What exactly did you just do?" Youji was clearly shaken by what just happened. He knew Jens and Falco both possessed telepathic abilities, but he didn't know that he could do this. _Had Jens really controlled his mind?_

"I'm honestly surprised it worked. Basically all that happened was that I created a link between our minds, and then I suggested the best way for you to solve the cube. See when I reset the cube before I gave it to you, I paid attention to which motions I used to mix it up, and then I played it in reverse so we could solve it without looking at it. It wasn't mind control. You could have refused to act on the suggestions and it wouldn't have worked at all. Good thing you trusted me." Jens smiled as he finished explaining what just happened to Youji. "Are you okay? I'm sorry if I upset you"

"I'm fine. It's okay, really. I'm just surprised that you can do that" Youji replied, handing the cube to Jens, sounding relieved that it wasn't mind control. He had really been in control the whole time.

"Believe me, it's way easier for you than it is for me. It requires a lot of concentration on my part to make our minds connect like that" Jens said, now sounding worn out, "It's really exhausting"

"So could you use that to your advantage in a battle?" Natsuo asked inquisitively

"Like I said, this only worked because Youji trusted that I wasn't going to do anything to harm him. Obviously that wouldn't be the case in the middle of a spell battle. However, Falco can instruct me to do as he wishes by our mental connection in a battle, though he generally trusts my judgement. I always know what he is thinking, as he does me, whether we are in a battle or not"

"Really? Don't you get tired of it though?"

"What, knowing each other's thoughts? Actually we like it that way. It creates a really strong bond between us. It's not like we have anything to hide from each other" Jens yawned. His experiment with Youji really had made him tired. He could barely stay awake now. "If you two want to stay up, that's all good, but I need to get some sleep"

"Kay, good night!" the Zeros said in unison

"You guys can sleep in my bed. I'll just share Falco's bed" Jens yawned again as he walked down the hallway to the bedroom.

Youji figured that he and Natsuo probably wouldn't be too far behind. He was feeling pretty tired himself, and he could see that his fighter was starting to nod off.

"So what should we do tomorrow? There's not really a whole lot for us to do here at the school. It's too boring" Youji said as he slouched down into the sofa.

"Yeah it is boring isn't it? Maybe we can all go to one of the tourist towns around here or something"

"Yeah that could be fun, I'm sure Jens will figure out something we could do. Going somewhere should be easy though, since he has a car"

"He does?"

"I think so, unless they took the train up here. That doesn't sound like Jens to want to ride a train here. He's definitely got the money for a car"

That was true. Jens and Falco had received a massive inheritance from their parents. Jens was allowed to take control of it after he turned 17. That was one of the reasons that they had left. With more than enough money to live on their own, so they saw no reason to stay at the Academy.

"Natsuo?" Youji looked over at his fighter

"Hmm?" He was barely awake

"Alright, let's go to bed"

"M'kay"

The two boys walked down the hallway and quietly opened the door to the bedroom. Jens and Falco were both asleep. One of them was snoring quietly. Youji and Natsuo climbed into the empty bed that Jens had left for them. Natsuo was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. Youji pulled the covers up around himself and his fighter. Soon he slipped off into a deep sleep, dreaming of what the next day would bring.


	6. Chapter 6

"Endless" Ch. 6

"Oh this is a funny one" Natsuo giggled as he scrolled through the shots on Jens' Nikon

"Which one's that?" Jens asked leaning over to look at the camera's screen and smiled as he saw the photo, "Oh yeah, that one. Who took that anyway?"

The photo showed Youji grabbing ahold of Jens' tail to stop himself from slipping on the ice on the skating rink. Jens and Falco had decided to take Youji and Natsuo ice skating. The brothers both knew how to ice skate and Natsuo figured it out pretty quickly as well. However Youji couldn't seem to get the hang of it. He constantly found himself grabbing onto one of his friends in order to stop himself from falling. In this photo, Youji had been gliding behind Jens while holding on to his waist. After he gathered enough confidence he tried to let go. Big mistake. Youji immediately panicked and feebly tried to grab back onto Jens. Only instead of grabbing Jens by the waist he gave him a firm yank by the tail, pulling them both down.

"I didn't. It must've been your brother" Natsuo laughed "No way! He took one of you two mid-fall!"

Jens looked over again. Sure enough, this shot showed Jens flying backwards as Youji came in over top of him in a dramatic swan dive, arms flailing.

"At least Youji got a soft landing. I fell flat on my ass"

Natsuo continued to look through the photos. Jens sat behind the wheel driving them all back to the Academy. They all had a lot of fun that day, enjoying the food in some of the tourist restaurants, as well as the gorgeous scenery in the mountains around Goura. The ice skating incident had only enhanced the fun of that day, even if it was slightly embarrassing for Youji. He slept leaned against Falco in the backseat of the Mercedes. Falco was asleep as well, leaning against the window, his breath fogging against the icy glass. Natsuo sat next to Jens in the passenger seat.

"Hmm, I really like this one" Natsuo remarked

This photo showed an orange sunset set against a mountain background. Even on the camera's preview screen it was still breathtaking.

"Nothing like watching it sink behind the mountains like that. One thing I really miss about living here is the natural beauty" Jens replied

"We never get to leave the school so we don't see stuff like this very often"

"No fun being stuck on the campus all that time, is it?"

"It sucks. Besides going to class we don't get to do anything. Sensei doesn't pay attention to us. It's all so boring"

"Yep, I know the feeling. The Seven Voices Academy also makes a hell of a prison"

"At least when we were with Soubi, we could go out and do stuff. I mean , sure we spent most of our time in his apartment. But we were free to come and go as we pleased. Even when Nagisa called us, we weren't entirely sure we wanted to go home"

"I'm surprised to hear you say that. I thought you were glad to come back"

"We were glad Sensei wanted us to come back, we really were, but we miss the freedom, not to mention the fact that someone treated us as human beings. Not just weapons. Maybe Soubi and Ritsuka consider us friends. I'd like that" Natsuo said longingly.

"I can understand that. I would imagine that if he took you guys in even after you put a nail through his hand, Soubi couldn't hate you too terribly, and from what you told me, Ritsuka likes you as well" Jens said trying to comfort the burgundy haired boy

He suddenly felt guilty for leaving Natsuo and Youji alone at the Academy and under the care of Nagisa. She never paid attention to them. They were her experiments, her creations. She wouldn't see them as anything more than that. It was just the way she was. They had all grown up knowing that. But Natsuo suffered from it all the most. Nagisa would occasionally send a kind remark towards Youji, but she treated Natsuo with complete apathy. At least when they were all still together, Jens and Falco could give the Zeros a sense of belonging. But they had taken that with them when they left.

"Seriously though, don't ever buy into that thinking, alright? You both are human beings to me, and you're both part of Falco and I's family. You two mean a lot to us"

"Heh, thanks. But I'm not sure we are human. We don't feel pain, do we? We were created in a laboratory. We're experiments, only meant to mimic other human beings.

"Natsuo, don't," Jens started but was cut off

"There are times I really wonder what the hell I really am. A normal human wouldn't be able to pull his own eye out, unless he was crazy. It didn't hurt, not at all. So what does that make me then? A monster? A freak?"

Natsuo's ears were down and he wore a pained expression on his face. He sounded like he was on the verge of tears. Jens rarely saw Natsuo get like this. He was normally so calm and collected about everything, but maybe this was a result of him keeping everything so bottled up. It broke his heart to see him hurt like this.

"Please Natsuo, don't say that! You can't feel physical pain, but you can feel emotional pain, right? You're sad right now. You _are_ feeling pain. You're expressing it right now"

A tear rolled down Natsuo's cheek. Jens could feel his own eyes beginning to mist up at all of this. Meanwhile, Falco and Youji still slept soundly in the backseat, Youji curling up into the warmth of Falco's sweater. Both were completely oblivious to what was going on between the two fighters.

"You know how to love too. I've seen the way you're attached to Youji. You guys love each other the same way Falco and I love each other. You would die for each other. And you can feel happiness. I saw the way your face lit up when you saw us yesterday, and when you laughed when Youji and I slipped and fell on the ice today. All of that, it all makes you human, just as much as me. So what if you can't feel the physical side of pain, that's not what matters.

Jens put his hand on Natsuo's shoulder and gave him and gentle squeeze. He smiled. Natsuo looked over at Jens and returned his smile. By the look in his eyes, he could tell that Jens had meant every word of what he'd just said.

"You gonna be okay?" Jens asked

Natsuo sniffed and wiped his eye with the sleeve of his jacket, "Yeah. Thanks Jens"

Natsuo did feel a lot better now. The sound of Jens' gentle voice always comforted him when he was down, almost as much as Youji's. It was a voice that understood, that really cared about him.

"I'm glad you opened up to me. It's good for you, as cheesy as that sounds. There's a tissue in the glove box if you need it"

"What for? I- I'm not crying!" Natsuo defended "It's… uh… allergies"

"Oh my mistake" Jens said with a small smile "Well there's one in there if you need it anyway"

Natsuo popped open the latch on the glove box and rummaged around the small space until his hand touched something peculiar. He couldn't see what it was in the dim light that flashed by every so often by the street lamps. He grabbed the metal and plastic grip and pulled it out into the open.

"What's this for?" he asked

"Oh careful with that, it's loaded. It's just for, you know, personal protection"

Natsuo cradled the Walther in his hands. He had never held a gun before. The thought of such a weapon amazed and frightened him. A single pull of the trigger and another person's life could be ended. No spells he knew could do that. But Jens couldn't kill someone, no way.

"The heck do you need protection from?" Natsuo asked

"I've never had a need to use it, but it gives me a sense of security I guess. Don't worry though, Falco doesn't get it either" Jens laughed "But I know you're thinking that I couldn't kill anyone, and you'd be right. I'm no murderer"

"So what then, you would just scare someone off with it?"

"Probably, but if that didn't work, a bullet to the knee stops most people" Jens said grimly

Natsuo shrugged. He slipped the pistol back into its spot in the glove box. A quiet groan was heard from the backseat. Natsuo looked back to see that his sacrifice was awake.

"Have a nice nap?" he asked Youji

"Yeah. What's up? Are we almost home?"

"About ten minutes or so" Jens answered, "Wake sleeping beauty will you"

Falco still slept quietly with his headphones on. Youji picked up the golden-haired neko's iPod and scrolled through until he found something that made him smile. He showed it to Natsuo who giggled in approval. Jens looked and rolled his eyes. "Cigaro" by System of a Down. Youji grinned as he turned up the volume as loud as it would go and pressed "play".

What happened next was nothing less than a seizure-like motion as Falco jumped almost out of his seat and flung his headphones into his lap.

"THE HELL MAN?" Falco cried

Youji and Natsuo rolled with laughter. Even Jens was laughing at his brother's musical jump-start.

"You should've seen the look on your face! Priceless!" Youji said between bouts of uncontrollable laughter.

"I think you would've gone through the roof if that seatbelt wasn't holding you in" Natsuo added, almost laughing himself to tears.

"Oh yeah, very funny Youji. Not cool!" Falco shot back at the aqua-haired boy, "You know I'm gonna get you for this one right?"

"Oh sure, I expect you to do your worst" Youji said sarcastically

"Just you wait" Falco said threateningly

"Alright, alright, calm down Falco, no need to come unglued" Jens said, still laughing slightly

Falco shot his brother a look and then sighed. He wasn't angry, Youji had just scared the crap out of him.

"So the night exercises are going on tonight, eh? Is Nagisa letting you two join in on all the fun?" Jens asked the Zeros, trying to change the subject.

"Probably not. She says we're too weak to fight right now"

"That's a bummer. So far as I know, we are allowed to participate if we wish"

"Got anybody lined up?" Natsuo asked

"As a matter of fact, Breathless asked us to fight them. I think it'll be fun" Jens said optimistically

"Really? Seems like that would be a one sided fight. You guys are way more experienced than they are"

"Nah, we won't use any telepathic spells on them. We'll keep it down to just physical spells" Falco commented

"That's no fun in my opinion. You should go full force, give it everything you got. You guys could wipe the floor with Breathless" Youji said, sounding almost disappointed

"I'll give it my best with the physical spells. Even if I don't play with their minds, I can still win no problem"

Just as Jens said that, he pulled the Mercedes up to the security gate that barricaded anyone from going in or out of the Seven Voices. He rolled down the window and punched in a code on the small keypad next to the gate. Lucky for him he still knew the code. The gate shuddered as it rolled back with a groan. They then drove up to the main entrance. Jens frowned as he saw that someone had taken his parking space.

"Huh, that car wasn't here last night or this morning" he said aloud

"Yeah I wonder who it could be" Falco added

Jens parked the SUV next to the unfamiliar car. They all got out and walked through the glass doors. Jens noticed two people he didn't recognize sitting on the "U" shaped sofa in the waiting room. One looked to be about Jens' age with shaggy blonde hair. He also wore glasses. Jens also noted that this guy didn't have his ears. The other boy looked to be about twelve or thirteen and had black hair. They were both talking about something when suddenly the blonde lunged at the younger boy in hug that he clearly wasn't expecting. Then Jens heard the blonde say something that really caught his attention: the younger boy's name.

"Ritsuka"

There was no way. Could this be the same Ritsuka that now was Soubi's new master? But the blonde clearly wasn't Soubi. So then where was he? The blonde and this boy who apparently was Ritsuka were now giving Jens an odd look. He hadn't even noticed that he was blatantly staring at them. Then he heard a voice that he hadn't heard in a very long time.

"Hello Jens" said a tall male with long blonde hair. It was his old friend, Soubi Agatsuma.

Jens hadn't even noticed that he walked right up to him from the reception desk. He looked at Soubi and smiled.

"Hello Soubi"


	7. Chapter 7

Endless Ch. 7

"It's been awhile, hasn't it?" Soubi asked Jens

Soubi extended his hand for a handshake, which Jens obliged.

"Indeed it has, my friend" Jens said, laughing slightly.

"I have to say I'm surprised to see you and your brother here" Soubi said, smiling at Falco, who had joined Jens. "I'd heard that the two of you had left a little while after I did?"

"Yeah that's right. Just came back for a visit" Jens replied.

Soubi smiled and started back to where Ritsuka and the blonde Jens didn't know were sitting. Jens and Falco followed him. Jens had been correct in his assumption that Soubi would return with his new sacrifice to the Seven Moons. He just didn't expect it to be this soon. Now he was going with Soubi to meet this boy, Ritsuka.

Youji and Natsuo were already talking with Ritsuka and the blonde. It seemed from what Jens and Falco could hear, the Zeros were giving him a hard time about something regarding Soubi, while Ritsuka defended him. Youji and Natsuo's attention changed to Jens and Falco as they approached.

"We were wondering what you two had gone" Youji called to the brothers "Oh, hey Soubi"

Soubi nodded at the Zeros, "Good evening"

Ritsuka glanced between his fighter and the two boys behind him. He had noticed the taller of the two staring at him earlier, and was surprised that both Soubi AND the Zeros seemed to know them. He gave Soubi a questioning look.

"Ritsuka, Kio, this is Jens Koenig and his brother Falco Koenig. They're friends of mine" Soubi said

Both Ritsuka and the blonde known as Kio stood up. Jens made the first move towards them, extending his hand to Ritsuka for a handshake.

"I'm Jens Koenig. It's really nice to meet you, Ritsuka-kun" Jens said, smiling

Ritsuka normally felt uneasy about meeting new people that were associated with Soubi, since most of the people he had met turned out to be enemies. But something about this guy, Jens, seemed totally different. He spoke with a gentle voice, which Ritsuka detected a slight accent in. This wasn't the only thing about him that was different though. Something about Jens' whole presence seemed to be very pure and genuine. Ritsuka was also put at ease by the fact that Soubi had referred to Jens and his brother as "friends."

"It's nice to meet you as well, Koenig-san" Ritsuka said, returning Jens' handshake and smile.

Jens laughed slightly "Please, just call me Jens. I prefer it that way since a friend of Soubi's is a friend of mine"

Falco took his turn to introduce himself to Ritsuka.

"I'm Falco. Good to meet you, Ritsuka-kun!"

Falco simply offered a wave to Ritsuka, along with the same warm smile that Jens wore. Whereas Jens had a gentle, warm voice, Falco's voice was full of enthusiasm. Ritsuka heard the same accent as well.

As Falco and Ritsuka were getting acquainted, Jens was doing the same with Kio. But Kio was doing most of the talking.

"Hiya Jens! I'm Kio!

Kio enthusiastically shook Jens' hand so much that it looked as though he might wrench  
his whole arm off. Jens didn't seem to mind though, and returned Kio's enthusiasm.

"Nice to meet you, Kio! So are you a friend of Soubi's?"

"Yeah! We go to the same university. I honestly didn't know Sou-chan had any other friends besides Ritsuka and me. Glad to know otherwise!"

Jens smiled. He wondered, though, what a person like Kio would be doing here at a school for fighters. Jens was almost certain that he was neither a fighter nor sacrifice. Why had Soubi invited him along?

Youji and Natsuo decided they should join in the conversations going on instead of just sitting and watching. Natsuo clapped a hand on Ritsuka's shoulder.

"So what do you think of our brothers, eh?" he asked the black haired neko.

"What a second, you guys are related?" Ritsuka asked Jens, Falco, and the Zeros.

There was no way. They didn't share the same last names, and they looked nothing alike.

"Ha-ha, no, no, we're-"Falco was about to reply, but Jens stepped in before he could finish.

"By adoption. Nagisa-sensei adopted my brother and I after our parents died. We all grew up together, so I suppose you could call us that. But we're not blood related"

"Ah I see now, and I'm sorry to hear that" Ritsuka said sympathetically.

"Thanks, but really, it's nothing to worry about." Falco said, still smiling, "I was only 7 then. Jens was 10. He remembers a little more than I do before then, but even then, it's not much"

Jens was about to say something, but his phone started to ring. He frowned when he saw who it was calling. He answered.

"Hello, Nagisa-sensei"

All eyes were trained on Jens as he spoke over the phone. They all could hear a high pitched voice that seemed to scream out of his phone. Youji and Natsuo were stifling their laughter.

"Yes, yes, I know. I'm sorry, we were just saying hello to- okay fine, we'll be up in a few minutes" Jens said, sighing as he hung up his phone. "I swear I'm going deaf in this ear because of her"

"Everything okay?" Soubi asked Jens

"Yeah it's fine, but I'm afraid we have to go now. Come on you guys," beckoning the Zeros to come with him.

"What'd you do?" Youji asked

"I was supposed to have you guys back at Nagisa's office fifteen minutes ago" he answered, "I'm really sorry we've got to run. Hopefully we'll all be able to see each other later tonight" Jens said to Soubi, Ritsuka, and Kio

Soubi smiled and nodded.

"Good seeing you again Soubi and a pleasure meeting you Ritsuka-kun, Kio" Falco said as he stood up next to his brother. They started to walk off together with Youji and Natsuo.

"See you later, Ritsuka" Natsuo said, waving.

Jens led the group past the service desk, smiling at the girl behind the desk as he walked by.

She smiled and nodded "Have a nice evening, Herr Koenig"

Once they all had passed through the entrance doors to the academy, Falco fell in step beside Jens.

"So was Ritsuka anything like you expected?" he asked his brother

"Actually, I didn't know what to expect. In fact, I can't believe that Soubi or Ritsuka are here at all" Jens replied "But I have to say, I like him. He seems good for Soubi"

"Oh yeah? How so?"

"Yeah Jens, I don't think that's accurate at all. Ritsuka knows nothing about being a sacrifice" Youji cut in

"Well, I'm not talking about his abilities or deficiencies as a sacrifice. I mean that he doesn't seem like he could hurt Soubi, at least not intentionally. He's not like his brother. Three years ago, when Seimei Aoyagi came to take Soubi, I felt a vibe come off of him. He looked like a sweet, innocent kid, but his vibe was completely the opposite of that. He was cold, dark. And that was just from me looking out of my window as they left together. Ritsuka seems very different from that. He seems to care about Soubi quite a bit."

"Huh? You just met him. How could you know all of that?" Natsuo questioned

"You know me, Tsun. I'm good at reading people" Jens smiled back at the burgundy haired neko.

Natsuo raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything more. By then, they had all reached the door that would take them across the courtyard. Jens pushed open the door and braced himself against the icy wind that seemed to have grown more intense compared to the night before. He held open the door for the others to pass through. After Youji had passed by, Jens was about to close the door when he froze. Falco paused and turned to look at his brother. The Zeros were walking ahead when they too stopped.

"Hey! You guys coming? It's cold out here, right?" Youji asked impatiently

"Jens, you alright?" Falco asked

"Y-Yeah, just got a chill. Let's get going"

"Okay then…"

Falco eyed his brother as he walked past. He could tell something was wrong even without having to read his mind. But now Jens was walking at a rapid pace to lead the group again. If Falco was going to inquire anymore about anything, it would have to wait. As Jens passed the Zeros, they too gave him an odd look. Falco walked up to join them.

"Is he okay?" Youji asked

"I'm not sure. We need to get you two inside though. It's damn cold out here" Falco urged

"Yeah, right"

Youji and Natsuo didn't need to be told twice. They both exchanged looks as they recalled their fight with Soubi where he almost made them freeze to death. They turned to follow Jens and Falco, the former having already reached the door to the old school building. He was punching in the code to open the door, but swore when it failed to unlock. Instead the keypad blinked twice in red. He had put it in incorrectly.

"Try it again" Falco said as he and the Zeros finally caught up with Jens

He started to type in the code again, more slowly this time.

"C'mon you son of a-"

The keypad turned green and the door unlocked. Jens pulled the door open and all went inside. He started to walk down the hallway to the elevators. Natsuo stopped to re-lock the door and then ran up to the others. They reached the elevators and stepped into one.  
Jens started to punch in the code to take them up, but hesitated, struggling to remember the code, which was different from the one at the door. Youji brushed his hand away.

"Just let me do it" he said, rapidly pressing the buttons and stopping at "6"

"How'd you know it?" Jens asked

"Have to do this every day. Remember, we live here" Youji said nonchalantly

They rode the elevator to Nagisa's floor in silence. It shuddered as it came to a stop. Jens, who was standing at the back, hurried his way out as the door opened. The remainder didn't try to keep with Jens' long stride. He clicked the button for the intercom outside of Nagisa's office.

"We're back" Jens said into the mic.

No response came back, instead the door unlocked. Jens grabbed the handle and swung the door open. Nagisa stood in the living room waiting for them. Youji, Natsuo and Falco walked in behind Jens.

"Hey Sensei" Youji said, giving Nagisa a childish grin

"Hello Youji. Did you and Natsuo have a good time today?"

"Yeah. We went ice skating"

"Oh? How did that go?"

"Not very well, at least not for Youji and Jens. We took some pictures if you want to see them" Natsuo offered

"Maybe later, Jens can I please speak to you in private?"

Jens nodded and followed Nagisa to her office down the hall. She opened the door and allowed him to enter first.

"I thought you said you'd be back 20 minutes ago" she said

"I know and I'm sorry about that. But I think we may have a problem"

"So you felt it too then?"

Jens' eyes flashed at Nagisa. She already knew what was going on.


	8. Chapter 8

Fanfic Ch 8

"I've had an odd feeling for most of the day, and then I felt something strong just a few minutes ago" Nagisa said to Jens

"That's when I felt it too" Jens replied "Are we certain that it is who we think it is?"

"I can't say for sure"

"It's one hell of a coincidence if it is"

"Yes. Given that Soubi and Ritsuka Aoyagi have come here"

"So you know already then?" Jens asked

"Of course I do! I see and hear everything"

"You mean that Nana does" Jens said with smile "Speaking of which, I haven't had a chance to say hello to her since we came back"

Nagisa turned and walked to the door opposite of the one they entered her office through. Her office was simple enough, a desk with a swivel chair on one side and two lounge chairs on the other. Various documents littered the desk, with Nagisa's Macbook sitting closed on one corner. There was a coat rack by the first door and a bookcase on the opposite wall. On top of the bookcase Jens spotted a framed photograph of himself, Falco, and the Zeros from when they were younger. He smiled as he looked at the photo, reminiscing of those days that seemed so long ago.

"Jens?" Nagisa said

"Hmm?"

Jens looked up and saw that Nagisa had opened the door halfway. The room on the other side was relatively poorly lit, save for the flickering light of computer monitors. Jens could hear someone typing on a keyboard.

"Wait a sec" Jens said before entering. He walked to the other door and called down the hallway. "Hey guys come on down here"

Footsteps could be heard as Falco, Natsuo and Youji came down the hallway. They all filed into Nagisa's office. She nodded and motioned for all to come with her into the other room. The room was relatively large, and lined wall to wall with electronic equipment. One wall was entirely taken up by an array of computer monitors that showed various areas of the Academy. Behind the wall of screens sat someone switching between typing on a keyboard and slurping on a bowl of instant ramen.

"Until something out of the ordinary happens, we are going to keep the schedule the same for tonight" Nagisa announced to the group "Ritsu won't allow us to change anything based only on a hunch"

Falco and the Zeros exchanged puzzled looks. What did Nagisa mean by "out of the ordinary"?

"Nana-tan would you mind showing Jens and Falco the changes we've made to the security system since they left?" Nagisa asked sweetly to the girl sitting behind the screens

Nana swiveled around in her chair. She looked through her glasses at the brothers and smiled. "Hello boys"

"Good evening Nana-sama" Jens and Falco said in unison

"Let's go ahead and get you two caught up to speed on things around here"

They both nodded and stepped over next to Nana. She quickly talked them through all the changes that had been made to the Academy's security system. Jens and Falco both listened and stared in awe at the many advanced security features that made Seven Moons Academy the stronghold that it was. It was clear that no one would ever enter be able to enter or leave without Nana seeing it on her screens. Falco seemed very intrigued by the technological aspect of all of it, and soon he and Nana were off on their own tangent of servers and software, leaving Jens to glance around the flickering screens that flashed from one area of the Academy to the other. Nagisa had retreated back to her own office, while Youji and Natsuo sat on the sofa in Nana's office and talked amongst themselves, Youji laughing at something his fighter said. Jens looked back at them and smiled. The Zeros took that as a cue to join him by the monitors.

"Something isn't it?" Youji said, nodding toward the screens.

"Yeah, she can look and see what anyone's doing anywhere at any time" Jens agreed

"Well it sounds creepy when you say it like that!" Youji replied with a smirk

Natsuo was eyeing a particular display that showed the camera feed of the main entrance. Jens stared at it too. He could see that the doors were sealed shut, indicating that the Academy was having night exercises. Chains and locks criss-crossed across the glass doors. This was normal, but what wasn't normal was the man who was sitting on the curb of the sidewalk outside of the doors. Jens squinted and thought to himself that this guy looked oddly familiar.

"Wait a minute, isn't that Soubi's friend Kio?" Jens said with a start

"Yeah, that's Kio" Natsuo confirmed

"What the hell is he doing out there? Didn't he come in with Soubi and Ritsuka?"

Nana stopped her conversation with Falco. "No, he wasn't allowed to enter"

"You're kidding? If he was with Soubi he should have been allowed"

"Jens, you know the rules, only those bonded by destiny are allowed here" Nagisa said in a semi-harsh tone

Jens sighed. He knew and understood the rules that governed the Academy. After all, it was a school for fighters and sacrifices, of which Kio was neither. He rested his hands on the edge of the control panel and looked again at the computer monitor.

"Alright if he isn't allowed to be here, then where is he supposed to go? They're going to just let him freeze?"

"A car was waiting to take him to a hotel in town. From what I could see from here, he chose not go" Nana replied

"We can't make him go, but we can't let him stay here" Nagisa added

"Kio has a thing for Soubi. Of course he wouldn't go, even if it was a stupid decision" Youji said nonchalantly

"A 'thing' eh? Like he's Soubi's lover?" Jens asked

"Nah, I'm thinking it's more like a crush sort of thing. Soubi doesn't act like he's interested in him"

"Knowing Soubi, he won't want to be with anyone else aside from Ritsuka" Falco added

"Just like how it was with Seimei before. Soubi is completely devoted to his sacrifice and no one else" Jens said with a grim tone

"Isn't that how it's supposed to be?" Nagisa questioned

"In a way, yes, but it doesn't mean you have to push anyone and everyone out of your life. In my mind, no fighter should have to do that"

"And no sacrifice should ask for that" Falco added in agreement

Jens smiled at Falco, but before he could say anything, he stiffened alert. Everyone else in the room immediately did the same. The same feeling that Jens and Nagisa had felt earlier was now being felt by everybody. And this time it was stronger. Much stronger. This meant that whoever or whatever the source was, it was now close.

Falco shivered as a chill ran up his spine. He felt a ringing in his ears. He looked over at Jens.

"So is this why you were all freaked out earlier?"

"Yeah, but this time it was a lot stronger"

"What are you talking about Jens?" Natsuo asked, sounding rather alarmed "Seimei is dead"

"We had suspicions that he could possibly still be alive"

"If it's him, then why is he here?"

"We don't know, but it may have something to do with Soubi and Ritsuka coming here tonight" Nana said, glancing back and forth between monitors.

Nagisa stepped forward and nudged Falco over to make room next to Nana. She also was glancing rapidly at the screens. But nothing was happening.

"If he's anywhere near here shouldn't we be able to see him by now?" Nagisa asked impatiently

"I've got cameras all over this campus. If he makes a move, I'll see it" Nana stated. Her gaze shot over to a monitor that showed the main gate. The screen began to fade in and out, and then it went completely dark.

"Hey, what just happened?!" Nagisa exclaimed

"I lost feed on the main gate's camera"

"I didn't see anything. Could it be just an electrical short?" Jens asked

"No way. We've got the best security here and that includes our maintenance. Someone disabled it" Nana said "Shit! I lost another one!"

"What's Seimei playing at? He's just walking right in!"

"No he's not!" Nana said, trying to calm down her friend "The cameras are only our first line defense. They won't be able to go any further"

"How do you figure?" Falco asked

"The alert level has gone from yellow to red, meaning they've gone past the perimeter cameras. But now they have to go through one of the gates. Everything's locked up now, see?" Nana said, pointing at an interface on one of her screens. It looked like a house with eight doors. Each one had a keyhole symbol on it and above each door there was a box with a red letter "R."

"Is this the same system you had before we left two years ago?"

"Yeah, it's just been added on to since then. I don't see what that has to do with-HEY!"  
On the screen the door labeled "5" was opening. An alarm sounded with a screech.

"Should he be able to get in that easily?!" Nagisa questioned, now starting to sound hysterical

"No, no, this isn't right!" Nana cried

"That's what I was saying! The system's useless if you didn't change the passwords" Falco remarked

"Hard to barricade against someone who knows all the ins and outs here. You couldn't have been prepared for this kind of situation" Jens added in Nana's defense

"He won't be able to enter any of the buildings here. The campus is locked down for the night exercises"

"Don't be so sure about that. I'm still feeling his presence here, and he's not alone" Jens said

"What?! Who's with him?" Nagisa shrieked

"I…I can't tell. Whoever it is, they're strong"

"Dammit I hate being blind like this!" Nana said under her breath, slamming her hand on her desk.

Every screen was blank. The intruders were free to move around unseen, and worse yet, they had a straight shot to the school. Everyone in the room stood around, not knowing what to do or how to deal with the situation. It was becoming clear that someone would need to go out and confront Seimei and his partner. Jens, Falco, and the Zeros exchanged looks. All four nodded as to confirm that they all were thinking the same thing. Jens was the first to speak.

"Sensei, let us go out there"

"You want to fight?"

Jens sighed "I'm not sure if I want to or not, but we can't allow them to proceed any further"

"We want to go too" Youji chimed in.

"Are you kidding? You're not nearly strong enough to face him!"

"Sensei it'll be alright. We'll be with them" Falco said, trying to comfort Nagisa

Before she could respond, another alarm sounded with a screech, this time signaling that the school itself had been breached. A diagram on Nana's computer screen showed the main entrance lobby flashing red. They had come in where Jens and Falco had been less than an hour ago. Jens looked over to Nagisa. They were both thinking the same thing: the decision to go and confront the intruders was no longer a matter of choice.


	9. Chapter 9

Endless Ch. 9

"We'll need a way to find out where he's at. It'll be pointless to run around randomly trying to find him" Jens stated

"I can track him with the cameras in the building, so long as he doesn't knock them out too" Nana said, nodding towards the monitors. She began typing furiously on her keyboard and soon signals began to show up on the wall of screens. However, no feed was coming in from the lobby.

"I can't get a signal from there. Whatever Seimei did to get in disabled the cameras there"

"I'm not so sure it's him doing all this damage. He's not alone here" Jens said

"Yeah, I can feel it. He's gotta have a fighter with him" Youji agreed

"We can't rush into this. We'll have to come up with some sort of strategy here" Falco noted

"Hold on a second guys, I have something" Nana interrupted, pointing at one of her screens  
The screen showed a figure walking alone down a hallway. Jens tilted his head. He couldn't see the person very well, but from what he could tell, he looked nothing like Seimei Aoyagi. So then was this the fighter that came with him?

"He's headed to the Eastern wing of the school. There's no one with him"

"They must have split up then. I don't know why though. That's foolish for a fighter to leave his sacrifice" Jens said

"Maybe they don't plan on fighting then" Nana offered

"I find that hard to believe after making an entrance like that" Nagisa said sharply

"Whether or not they planned it, they're going to have a fight on their hands"

"We need to warn the students and faculty about what's happening before we do anything. These guys are dangerous" Nana said, wheeling her chair over to a desk with a microphone sitting on it. She pressed a button and motioned to say something, but she stopped and looked at Jens. "You do it" she said.

"Why me?"

"It'll sound more important with your voice behind it"

"I don't see how, but alright"

Jens walked over to the intercom, took a deep breath, and switched the mic on.

"Attention all students! There is danger of two intruders within the school. All students are advised to avoid battling the intruders as they are extremely dangerous! Any confrontations are no longer drill exercises. All students are to proceed to their dormitories at once!"

Jens released the mic switch.

"How was that?"

"Fine, but now we have human traffic" Nana said pointing at another screen

She wasn't kidding. Students were running back and forth trying to get back to their rooms. Luckily it didn't appear as if a panic had ensued. A phone on the wall began to ring. Nagisa went over and answered it. The others in the room listened as she spoke with the school's security personnel. Apparently roll call was being taken, but there were still people missing. Nana heard the person on the other end of the line ask if she could see anything on the monitors.

"Yes we can do that" Nagisa responded

"Not for long" Falco said, looking up at the fluorescent lights on the ceiling as they began to flicker

"Sensei, it's started!" Natsuo exclaimed

"It's a crash" Youji added

Just as Youji said that, the room went dark. Emergency lights above the door clicked on, giving the room an eerie red glow.

"You've gotta be kidding me! A power failure now?!" Nagisa shouted

"That's not it, sensei" Natsuo said

"A spell battle's started. I think it's Soubi" Youji added

"I think so too, the power's being restricted now" Falco said

"It's Soubi and that other fighter that came with Seimei" Jens said "Great to know that, but now we have no way of knowing where Seimei's at"

"Yes we do. Watch"

Nana got up from her chair and walked over to a control panel located on the opposite side of the room. She picked up a flashlight and began to scan over the various switched on the board under the glow of the flashlight's beam. She then proceeded to snap over several of the switches, and the others watched as the wall of monitors began to start up again.

"We have backup generators for power failures. We'll run on those until the normal power supply is restored" Nana said

"So how are we going to do this then?" Youji asked

"I'm going to lock down the system from here" Nana informed "You should go ahead. I'll keep you up to date on the fly" Jens nodded. This would be the fastest method to capture Seimei. If he was alone, the four of them wouldn't have much trouble in doing that.

"Alright lets go then" he said, nodding at Falco and the Zeros

The four walked out of Nana's office and back to Nagisa's. Youji and Natsuo walked out to the hallway first, followed by Falco. Jens was about to step out too when Nagisa called for him. Jens turned around.

"I want to be sure you can do what needs to be done about him" she said as she pulled a strongbox out from under her desk. She flipped open the latches and turned the case towards Jens. He looked at the contents grimly.

"You can use one of these, correct?" Nagisa asked, eyeing Jens

"Well enough…" Jens said as picked up the Smith & Wesson from the case. He clicked the release and swung out the cylinder. In it were six rounds, each with a small .357 stamped on them. He felt the weight of the pistol in his hand as he gripped it and aimed down the sights.

"Do you really think that shooting him is the answer?" Jens asked

"Only if he tries anything"

Jens glanced over towards the door. Falco and the Zeros were peeking around the doorframe.

"Shouldn't we be going?" Youji asked, acting as if he hadn't seen anything

"Yeah, let's go" Jens said quietly as he tucked the revolver into the back of his jeans, lowering the back of his jacket over the exposed grip.

They all started out of the office again, but then the phone on Nagisa's desk began to ring. Jens signaled for the others to wait. Nagisa answered the phone. She listened as the person on the other line said something that they couldn't make out. Whoever was Nagisa was speaking to, they sounded frantic. And then her face turned white as a sheet.

"Sensei?" Natsuo questioned

"Oh my god…" was all Nagisa said as she darted from her desk out to the hallway.

"Hey Nagisa! What happened?" Jens called after her as he and the others chased after her.  
Nagisa had broken into a full sprint, not even bothering to wait for the elevator. She swung open the doors to the stairwell and darted down the 3 flights of stairs. Jens, Falco, and the Zeros ran after her down the stairs, keeping up with her as she ran across the courtyard to the school building. Any attempts to slow her down or to ask her what was wrong went unanswered. They had all seen her frantic before, but this was totally new to them. As they entered the school, the group continued until Nagisa stopped at an office with a large swarm of security and medical personnel shuffled in and out. Then Nagisa began to scream a name.

"Ritsu! RITSU!"

Now the others knew why she had taken off like she did. Ritsu was lying on gurney, his eyes covered by bloody gauze and bandages. Jens wasn't sure if he was dead or not. He didn't enter the room, instead deciding to stand outside by the door. Falco stood close next to him.

"What do think happened?"

"I don't know. For someone to go this far is just…"

They could hear Nagisa screaming and shouting as Youji and Natsuo tried to calm her down. But there was no calming her. That was, at least, until Ritsu reached his hand out to Nagisa.

"Nagisa, you have to stop him" he said weakly

"Ritsu, wha..?"

"He caught me off-guard. Went straight for my eyes and gouged them out"

"Idiot! Stop talking! We need to get you to the infirmary"

"You don't understand Nagisa, you have to stop him. He's going right for the old headquarters now. He can't be allowed to go there!"

"Stop it! You're not making any sense!"

"Uh, well, we'll go" Youji interrupted

"Good, you can stop him"

"No! Hell no!" Nagisa shouted at the aqua haired boy "You'll be killed! He'll fucking kill you!"

"Really, we'll be fine. Maybe…" Natsuo said, trying to sound somewhat reassuring

"Yeah, it'll be alright. Besides, didn't you just say you had no use for us? Let us prove you wrong" Youji said in a voice that had a hint of sarcasm.

"Damn right you're useless to me! You hear? Useless!" Nagisa shouted hysterically at Youji, striking him across the face. Youji merely smirked. Jens saw this and clenched his fists. He hated it when Nagisa got like this, especially since she tended to take it out on Youji and Natsuo.

"Nagisa, they'll be fine. Seimei is alone right now. He doesn't have a fighter with him. They can take care of him" Ritsu said softly

"No! I said no! You two are weak! That's why you're here to get stronger" Nagisa cried. Tears began to roll down her cheeks.

"Even if that were true, they'll be with someone who is strong. Isn't that right Jens?"  
Jens started. Even blinded, Ritsu could still sense that he was standing just outside the door. Jens swallowed hard and entered the room, Falco close behind him.

"Yes, Ritsu-sensei" Jens said in a low voice

Nagisa reached up and grabbed Jens by the collar of his jacket and began to sob into his chest. Jens sighed and put his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes.

"I won't let anything happen to them. I promise you"

"If you do, I swear I'll kill you, you hear me!" she shouted at him, her voice cracking

"Jens, take care of it" Ritsu said weakly

"There are four of us. We shouldn't have a problem with him" Youji affirmed

"Right then, let's go" Jens said, leading the group out the office.

Jens, Falco, and the Zeros walked through the hallways, which were normally filled with student traffic, but were now completely deserted. The electricity to the school was still being restricted, and the hallways were all completely dark. However, Jens had cast a spell that illuminated the area around the group as they made their way. At first they walked in silence, the only sounds being made were the sounds of their footsteps, Jens' steel-studded boots making a distinct clacking against the tile floor. Youji was the first to initiate some conversation.

"Nagisa's one for hysterics, isn't she?"

"Yeah, that's the worst I've seen her" Jens agreed

"Kinda weird given how old he is"

"What do you mean?"

"You don't see it? She's in love with him you know"

"She is not" Jens denied

"She is too! She won't admit to it, but everyone here pretty much knows"

"That's strange then. He has at least ten years on her"

Youji was about to say something when he stopped. A grim look can across his face.  
"You see that?"

"Mein Gott…" Jens said, his face pale.

"It's his blood isn't it? Ritsu's I mean" Falco asked, stepping toward the wall.

"Yes, I think so" Jens nodded

"It could be his own?" Youji inquired

"I doubt it. That's a lot of blood to lose, Youji" Natsuo replied

Written in rough kanji on the wall was the message "Ritsuka, I'm back." The message was written blood. Ritsu's blood.

"Ritsuka won't like this" Natsuo said

"Nagisa and Nana need to see this" Jens said, pulling out his blackberry.  
A flash lit the area brightly for a split second as he snapped a picture of the gory message. He looked at the message before sending it. He shot Youji a look, who just smiled. Falco looked at the picture and rolled his eyes. Youji was standing in the corner of the photo, sticking his tongue out and pointing at the message.

"What? Think this will make me lose my sense of humor?" he asked sarcastically

Jens sighed and then smiled at Youji, "Gotta laugh to keep from crying, right?"

"Exactly!"

A few seconds after Jens sent the message, his phone began to ring.

"Hello? Is this Jens?" Nana's voice asked

"Yeah Nana, I'm here. You get the picture I sent?"

"Yes, but it worries me"

"Yeah, this is pretty disturbing. Hold on, I'm going to put you on speaker so we can all hear you, okay?"

"Right, can you all hear me now?" Nana asked, her voice audible to the others

"Yep, loud and clear" the Zeros answered

"Yeah" Falco responded

"So what are we supposed to do now? We're still going after Seimei right?" Youji asked

"I-I don't know what to tell you now. This whole thing is a screw-up, and it's my fault" Nana sounded quite shaken, which was unusual for her, "Now I've got Nagisa freaking out about Ritsu"

"When is she not freaking out about SOMETHING?" Natsuo asked

"You don't get it though, this was my job. I had one job. I'm solely responsible for the security of this place, and Seimei was able to just waltz right in. And now Ritsu…"

"This isn't your fault, Nana. There was no way to predict Seimei making a move like this" Jens said, trying to be comforting. However, the Zeros also had something to say.

"Are you done whining? God, I hope so!" Youji remarked

Jens and Falco looked at Youji with bewilderment.

"Seriously, stop acting like it's all over. We can still take care of this you know!" Youji continued with a stern tone

"You can't act like that. We still need your help with this" Natsuo added "And I don't see how this is your fault. Ritsu was too weak to defend himself against a sacrifice. It's pathetic! It's his fault, not yours"

"He's right you know. We can take care of ourselves in a fight, and if we can't Jens can just blow his brains out, isn't that right, Jens?" Youji said, an evil grin on his face.

Jens rubbed his forehead. "I don't plan on using this," he said, reaching around his back to grip the revolver that Nagisa had given him "We can do this without having to kill anybody."

"Aw, well what fun's that?" Youji asked sarcastically

"I'm not finished! Make no mistake; I have no intentions of letting him get away with what he's done. If Seimei Aoyagi thinks he can just walk in and do as he pleases, he is sorely mistaken. And Natsuo's right, Nana, we still need your help with this. You're our eyes here"

The Zeros were taken aback by Jens' words. They weren't sure if they had ever heard him talk like that before. Even Falco was surprised. Jens never spoke with such a foreboding tone. Still he nodded in agreement with his brother.

"We'll take care of fighting him, if it comes to that. And if we should fail, it will be our responsibility, not yours. Blaming yourself isn't going to change the outcome of what's already happened. So please stop it. You're only hurting yourself."

"Right, we all have jobs here. This is our job. Now we need you to do yours and tell us where to go from here" Natsuo concluded

"O-Okay, I understand. I'll do everything I can from here. I'm seeing that most of the school is locked down at this point. And here's something else. Soubi and Ritsuka defeated the fighter that came with Seimei. He's in custody now"

"Holy shit, Ritsuka fought too?!" Natsuo exclaimed, clearly surprised

"Yeah, way to go!" Youji cheered

"Guys listen! She's telling us where to go" Jens stated, cutting the celebration short

"Alright, Seimei is being led to school's library now. Once he's there, he shouldn't be able to go anywhere else. The school's security personnel are being ordered to gather there to apprehend him, but judging from your location, you guys will be the first ones there"

"Right, thanks Nana. We'll get there as fast as we can" Jens confirmed

"I'll see you on the camera when you're outside the library. I'll unlock it for you when you get there. Please be careful guys!"

"We always are!" Youji laughed

"Oh god…" Nana moaned, hanging up the line.

No one had to say anything. The four took off towards the library, towards an enemy that they knew very little about. No one seemed to know what to really expect.

"Think he has a weapon?" Natsuo asked

"Probably a knife, judging by Ritsu's injuries" Youji answered

"With luck he'll come peacefully"

"As if he'll have a choice"

"He's a sacrifice without a fighter. What can he do?"

"You know, I've learned it's best never to underestimate the enemy" Jens cut in

Youji snorted, his arrogance showing. Natsuo stayed silent.  
Jens stopped the group. He pointed up at a sign sticking out from the wall. They were at the library. Slowly, and stepping lightly, they approached a large wooden door. Just as Nana had promised, the door unlocked. Jens could hear the sound of the electronic deadbolt unlatching as he reached for the handle. He grasped the handle and looked back at his brother and the Zeros. They all nodded for him to go ahead. Falco put his hand on his brother's shoulder and sighed. Youji and Natsuo were standing close together, hand in hand. Jens looked forward, turned the handle, and pushed the door open. He entered first, followed closely behind by the rest of the group. They walked silently past rows upon rows of bookshelves until they came to an open area where tables and chairs we set up for students to study at. A broken chair lay on its side. Next to it sat a lone figure reading a novel. Jens took a step forward.

"Seimei Aoyagi?"

The figure turned his head, his face illuminated by a desk lamp.

"Good evening" he said in an icy tone.


	10. Chapter 10

Endless Ch. 10

They didn't reply to Seimei's greeting. No one aside from Jens had ever seen Seimei in person. They had to admit that he looked quite a bit like Ritsuka, or that Ritsuka looked like him. Jens felt the same dark feeling that he had felt when Seimei first came to the Academy to claim Soubi. Just looking at him made Jens feel uneasy, Seimei's words sending a chill down his spine. Falco was experiencing a similar feeling, even feeing afraid of the boy standing in front of him. His heart was pounding in his chest. But why was Seimei having this effect on him? After all, he was merely a sacrifice. There wasn't much he could do to them, or so he thought. Something else was happening in the area around them, he noticed. The library itself was relatively well lit when they had entered, but now it seemed that it was getting darker, especially in the area they were all standing in.

"So you're Ritsuka's brother, eh?" Youji inquired, breaking the silence.

"That would be correct," Seimei replied as he snapped shut the novel he was reading, "And you two must be Zero, Youji and Natsuo"

Youji felt as if a massive force had just hit him. In a way, it was a lot like when Soubi had lowered the temperature of the battle domain when they had fought. But this was much stronger and instantaneous. He glanced over at Natsuo, who wore an expression that said he had felt the same. Was it possible that by just saying their names, Seimei could affect them like this? No, he thought, that couldn't be true, after all Seimei was a sacrifice. But what could explain the way he and Natsuo were feeling?

"And you two, yes, I recognize you as well. You're Endless, Jens and Falco"

"Yes that's right" Jens answered, "I take it then you know why we're here"

"With every door here being locked, I see that this was a trap so you could bring me in, yes? What a shame. I was hoping we could talk for a bit"

Every single word directed at them from Seimei felt like the cold blade of a knife stabbing through their chests. Jens hadn't predicted this. Something was very wrong here. Clearly Seimei was not the average sacrifice. He was almost definitely doing _something _to manipulate the atmosphere around them. Jens kept his eyes locked on Seimei, his stance never wavering. Falco stood close to his brother. He glanced over at Youji and Natsuo. He could see that they were feeling effects of Seimei's words as well. Both were beginning to look rather pale, but they still wore the look of determination on their faces.

Seimei continued to speak as if someone had asked him to continue. "So tell me, how is Soubi doing? He is still with Ritsuka, is he not?

"Yeah he is. They've grown really close to each other, so I don't think you'll be able to take him back" Youji remarked with a bitter tone

Seimei frowned. "Soubi is my possession. The name 'Beloved' is the one he wears"

"Sure, but for how much longer?"

"Besides that, _you_ were the one who threw him away" Natsuo added

"It would seem that you have severed the bond between your fighter by your own choice. Clearly you don't value Soubi, otherwise you wouldn't have tossed him away so easily" Falco said, glaring in disgust at Seimei

"Is that the reason? You discarded a person who would lay down his life for you? I've been curious for a while now as to the reason why you would do that to him" Jens demanded, his anger beginning to show

Seimei stood up and leveled his eyes at the group of four. "Why?"

His voice was calm, but his eyes betrayed anger and hatred. The Zeros expression of determination turned to a look of fear. Jens and Falco still managed to return Seimei's glare.

"If you ask me 'Why?'" Seimei retorted "I may just have to kill you"

Jens clenched his fists. He could tell by Seimei's tone that he was completely serious. But why would he go this far? They hadn't done anything to him. The four watched Seimei's gaze turn down to the novel he had been reading.

"You know, I love this book" he stated "I must say I was surprised to find it in this library. It's the story of a girl who was brutally murdered. It's about how she was locked in a basement and tortured until her death. No comes to help her at all. It really is a terribly sad story, especially at the end, when she looks at her killer and asks 'why?'"

Jens, Falco, and the Zeros stared at Seimei in disbelief, too shocked by what Seimei had just told them to speak. But Youji couldn't speak even if he wanted to. Every breath he drew in burned his chest like fire. All he could think about was the pain. But it wasn't pain, no it was atmospheric pressure, making it increasingly difficult to breathe. Youji realized that Seimei wasn't simply talking, he was manipulating his words into spells against them. And now it was getting even worse. Just the sound of Seimei's voice created a horrible ringing in his ears.

Seimei continued "It's fascinating that this girl, even knowing that she was going to die, had the _nerve_ to ask 'why?' She knew that her death would be without reason, yet she was the type of person who could maintain her sanity even in the face of pain and her own demise. There's a beauty to that, don't you think? I'm deeply touched by that beauty, but at the same time I cannot comprehend it. Do you know why that is?"

Youji could barely keep standing. He felt as if was going to pass out. Natsuo saw this. He was feeling the effects of Seimei's spell, but Youji was taking it a lot harder. This is really bad, he thought. Sweat streamed down his face, yet by sheer willpower he managed to stay on his feet. He looked over at Falco, who appeared to shivering, and his breath was labored. Falco returned Natsuo's eye contact. He didn't speak; instead he continued to breathe heavily. He felt as is at any moment he would be sick. He looked to his brother, who stood motionless, his gaze still fixed upon Seimei.

"It's because I really hate to be questioned" Seimei finished, his voice filled with hatred

"That's enough" Jens murmured

Seimei hadn't heard him. He looked to Youji and Natsuo.

"You look rather pale. Are you ill?" he asked in a tone that lacked concern "Perhaps if you are sick, you should leave"

"Stop talking to them" Jens breathed. He was finding it very difficult to talk, let alone breathe. It was taking everything he had to keep standing. The pain was incredible. Every breath taken in felt like someone twisting a blade in his chest. Jens could feel the sweat roll down his brow.

"I fear that if you stay here, what you don't want to see may be what you can't help but watch. Or is that what you would really want?"

Youji began to go into tunnel vision. This is it, he thought, I'm going to black out. He couldn't take much more of this. Every time Seimei spoke, he felt as if his eardrums were going to burst. Tears began to roll down his cheeks. Was it from the pain or fear? Youji guessed it was both. Then he saw a quick movement out of the corner of his eye, a glint of something metallic. What followed was the crack of a gunshot that echoed throughout the library.

"Shut the fuck up!" Jens gasped at Seimei, his eyes wide. He held the Smith and Wesson aimed at the ceiling, smoke still flowing slightly from its barrel. Then he leveled the weapon straight at Seimei.

Youji suddenly felt the pressure decrease. He gasped a deep breath of air. Natsuo took the opportunity to grab ahold of his sacrifice, throwing his arms around Youji as he fell into him. Youji latched tightly onto Natsuo, who looked over at Jens in bewilderment. Had he shot Seimei? No, he was still standing, but now a look of shock replaced the sinister glare. Falco was bent over next to Jens, having gone into a coughing fit. Jens stood still as a statue, the revolver still in hand. His finger rested on the trigger. Seimei stared at Jens. The gunshot had broken his focus, but then his look of shock faded into a small smile.

"Hmm, I have to admit that was an unpleasant surprise. But then again, you and I both know you would have it in you to actually go through with it" he sneered

Seimei took one step forward. A second shot rang out. Seimei heard and felt the bullet zip past his head. Jens hadn't missed though. He was giving him a final warning.

"Try me" Jens said through gritted teeth. His anger was at a boiling point now.

Seimei doubled back. A look of disbelief again appeared on his face. And then something none of them had seen yet from him. Fear. Seimei was trying his best to hide it, but Falco could see it as he glanced between Seimei and Jens. The sound of the second shot had brought Youji back around. The pain from the crushing pressure was gone but he still felt very weak. He was still leaning against his fighter, who took his hand and helped him to his feet. They both stepped forward.

"Jens it's okay" Natsuo said "We're okay"

"Stay there you two" he replied, not taking his eyes off of his target.

"It's our turn now" Natsuo said quietly "There's four of us and one of him. We're together, and we'll do this together"

"Natsuo…" Youji said weakly

Natsuo gripped his sacrifice's hand tightly. "I'm not letting go of you!"

Jens and Falco did the same, but Jens still kept his gun trained on Seimei. Seimei himself glanced rapidly back and forth between the two pairs. Then he locked his eyes nervously on the younger of two as Natsuo began to speak.

"_Seimei Aoyagi_"Natsuo stated the name firmly

"Don't you say it!"

"_Seimei Aoyagi, we now control this name!_"

"Stop it now!" Seimei called out

"I won't!" Natsuo declared "_We control and capture the name, Seimei Aoyagi!_"

"Don't touch me with your filthy hands!" Seimei cried, trying to shield himself against an invisible force

"_We control this name with the power of Zero! Fall to your knees! Collapse!_" Natsuo demanded, almost shouting

"Don't-!"

A door burst open. All snapped to see who had entered. Then a voice cried out "Seimei!"

"Ritsuka?!" Natsuo and Youji exclaimed, stunned

Ritsuka ignored them and ran straight for his brother, but stopped short when he saw a tall figure pointing a gun straight at Seimei. He quickly realized it was Soubi's friend that he had met earlier.

"Jens, please don't! Don't kill him" he begged as he grabbed onto Seimei

The angry look Jens had worn on his face immediately softened as soon as he realized he was now aiming square at Ritsuka. The hand holding the gun dropped to his side. Falco watched as his brother's face turned pale.

"Jens?"

"I-I'm sorry" Jens said weakly as he slumped to his knees.

Seimei's cold expression softened as he wrapped his arms around his brother. He looked up as Soubi walked in behind Jens, Falco, and the Zeros.

"Hello Soubi" he said coldly "So I've heard that you two have become close friends. Is this true?"

"S-Seimei, I-I…" Soubi's voice quivered with fear. The Zeros looked at him with surprise. They had never heard him talk like this. Falco, who was kneeling beside Jens, also gave Soubi a strange look. He sounded absolutely petrified with fear.

"Shut up" Seimei retorted "I really don't want to hear what you have to say right now"

Jens looked up at Seimei and then back at Soubi. He couldn't believe the way Seimei was speaking to Soubi. It made him nauseous. Youji jumped the phone in his back pocket began to ring. He flipped it open and answered it.

"Yeah?"

"Did you guys find Seimei yet?" Nagisa asked, her voice sounding very shaky, as if she were on the verge of a meltdown.

"Y-yeah, we were fighting him, but we were interrupted by a family reunion" he replied

"EXCELLENT!" she screamed, so loud that everyone could hear. She continued in a psychotic rant "I want you to kill him right now! Is Jens there?! Tell him to take that gun and blow his head off! He's still alive, and he shouldn't be! I don't care how you do it, but make sure he dies!"

"No!" Ritsuka cried "I won't let you take my brother away, not again!"

Nagisa carried on "What are you guys doing?! I told you to kill him! KILL HIM!"

Jens stood up and grabbed the phone out of a surprised Youji's hand.

"_What are you doing?_" Youji mouthed

Jens slowly lifted the phone to his ear.

"Listen to me very closely, Nagisa. I have no intentions of killing _anyone_ tonight, do you understand me? Enough blood has been shed tonight. Ritsuka is standing right here, and he certainly did not need to hear what you just said. Now, you're going to shut up and calm down, understood?"

All that was heard from the other line was a shriek and then silence. Jens flipped the phone closed and handed it back to Youji, who stared at him in disbelief. He had never heard someone speak to Nagisa that way before. Jens hadn't raised his voice at all, but even so, his words had a lot of force behind them.

"Ritsuka, I am so sorry you had to hear that" Jens said softly

Ritsuka, who was still holding onto his brother, just stared wide eyed at Jens. The Zeros stepped forward, and Youji held his hand out to Ritsuka.

"Ritsuka, come here. You need to get away from him" he said

"Please Ritsuka, he's not who you think he is. He's dangerous!" Natsuo pleaded

Ritsuka looked uneasily at the pair, and shifted his eyes over at Jens and Falco. At least Jens wasn't pointing a gun at Seimei anymore. The gun itself was lying on the floor, a few inches away from Jens' foot. Jens took notice of this and held up his hands.

"It's alright, Ritsuka, I won't shoot him, I promise you. But you need to get away from him. Please!"

"Ritsuka, I know how it looked when you walked in here, but Jens really wouldn't have tried to kill him. He-he was just protecting us" Youji tried to reason

"Yeah! Besides, we really like you, you know that?" Natsuo added

"It's true Ritsuka, you're our friend. Please, just come over here"

As far as Ritsuka could tell, the Zeros were being honest with him. But still, Seimei wasn't dangerous, so why were they saying that?

"Ritsuka, who are these people to you?" Seimei asked

"Youji and Natsuo…they're…they're my friends" he replied

"Really? And what about those two?" Seimei inquired, nodding at Jens and Falco.

"They're friends of Soubi's. That makes them my friends too"

The brothers both smiled. They had only met a few hours prior, and yet he already considered them friends.

"You say that, even though he was pointing a gun at me?" Seimei said coldly

Youji called out "I told you he wasn't going to shoot him!"

"Youji" Jens said, shaking his head

Youji looked frantically back towards Soubi.

"Hey! C'mon and do something already! If you care at all about Ritsuka, you'll do something and help!"

Jens sighed and bowed his head. Falco looked at Soubi.

"He can't help us" he said

"What load of crap is that? Wake up Soubi!" Youji shouted

"He's right. There's nothing I can do" Soubi said quietly "Seimei's word is absolute"

"Stop talking like that! Do something, you damn coward!" Youji cried, grabbing Soubi by the collar of his coat. Jens stepped in and wrapped his arm around Youji's torso, pulling him off of Soubi.

"Youji, that's enough" Jens said gently, looking from the mint haired neko over to Soubi, who stood motionless, staring at the floor.

Ritsuka looked back at his fighter with concern. Why was Soubi acting like this? Was he really so afraid of Seimei? He looked up at his brother.

"Seimei, what's going on? You're here now, but something's…still missing. I just don't understand it. Did you hurt someone? Why did you lie to me? Why did you fake your own death and just leave me here alone. And why is Soubi so afraid of you? Everyone seems to hate you. What did you do?"

Ritsuka poured out the questions that had burned inside of him for so long. He was so confused. Seimei had died. There was even a funeral. But now it had become clear that Seimei had faked his own demise, after all, he was standing right in front of him now. The thoughts crashed around inside of Ritsuka's mind.

"Why, Seimei?" his voice cracked. He knew he was on the verge of tears.

"Perhaps they fear that I'll soon try and kill them?" Seimei finally replied, his tone bitter "I…"

The power behind Seimei's words had returned, hitting Jens, Falco, and the Zeros like a shockwave. Youji cried out from the pain in his ears. Ritsuka whirled around. What was happening to them? He looked questioningly over at Jens, who only nodded at Seimei. Ritsuka backed away from Seimei and stared at him in shock. Was he really doing this?


	11. Chapter 11

Endless Ch. 11

"Seimei, what's wrong with them? Are you doing this?" Ritsuka asked pleadingly

He didn't answer; instead Seimei only stared at the floor, not wanting to look Ritsuka in the eye.

"They're my friends! Please st—,"

"Ritsuka" Seimei interrupted "Do you hate me?'

"Wha..? No, of course not! Why would even ask that?"

"You say that without thinking. I want you to think about it. Think about it very hard"

Ritsuka looked down, wide eyed. He knew for sure he didn't hate Seimei. He loved him. But if that were so, why did he now have to think about it?

"I need you to understand why I'm asking you this. If you lie to me, everything will fall apart for me. You can only answer me once, and you can never take what you say back. If you were to say that you hate me I…I could never bear to hear you speak again. I want you to know that I love you. I've loved you since the day you were born. There's no one else in this world that I care more for, and I'd love you still, even if you didn't return that love"

Seimei's words flowed through Ritsuka's mind. He couldn't fathom the reasons why his brother was doing this to him. He felt every emotion that a human could feel all at once, crashing through him like a raging river.

"Seimei, I don't understand…" he trailed off. He felt the tears well up in his eyes.

"I want you to love me as I am now, even if I'm not perfect, or as you once thought I was. What you're seeing in me now is the real me. That's the person I want you to love and accept. Can you do that?"

"Why are you doing this to him? He's your _brother _for God's sake!" Falco shouted, interrupting the two before Ritsuka could answer.

"Ritsuka you can't answer him, do you understand? He'll ensnare you if you say a word!" Youji added

Seimei looked past Ritsuka momentarily to glare at ones who had cut him short, and then he looked back down longingly at his brother. He slumped to his knees and grabbed him.

"Ritsuka, I'm begging you. Please, love me as I love you. Don't break me, don't let me die. Choose me over all else. I want your unconditional love" he said weakly, still latched onto Ritsuka like a needy child.

"Damn it, Ritsuka, don't do it!" Natsuo cried

"You can't listen to him! Ignore him!" Jens called out

Soubi finally stepped forward, albeit rather timidly. "R-Ritsuka, they're right. Don't answer him"

Seimei released his brother. Soubi flinched as he caught an angry glance from him. Seimei looked back up pleadingly at Ritsuka.

"I'll give you all that I am for you. All I'm asking is for you to do the same for me. Is that not what you do for the one you truly love?"

Ritsuka backed away from Seimei suddenly, giving him a confused look. Seimei looked intently into his eyes, waiting for an answer.

"No, Seimei. That's not right at all" he said

Seimei's expression hardened. "So you won't forgive me then?"

"I didn't say that! I'll forgive you for what's happened. But that doesn't mean you can just go back and do it again! You don't understand what all of this did to me, the hell I've gone through for two years"

"You say you forgive me, and yet you're still angry with me?"

"I still love you, Seimei! That just doesn't go away. But when you still hurt someone who loves you, it's really wrong! It can't just be instantly remedied!"

Seimei was looking down at the floor again. Ritsuka was almost shouting now, his emotion finally being expressed.

"Don't you realize how you hurt Soubi? He loved you too! Yet you hurt him over and over again, and now he's afraid of you. Do you know how terrible that is? He's a human being, and you treated him like an animal!"

"You don't –," Seimei tried to cut in.

"I'm not done! You say you want me to give up all that I am to you? That's not love, that's possession! I refuse to be owned by anyone in that way. I am my own person!"

"So that's how you truly feel? That's fine then, if that's your answer. And I suppose by you saying that, and you knowing that you can't take that back, you want to be my enemy?"

Seimei stood, but did not meet his brother's eyes. Ritsuka reached out for him.

"No! I still love you, but I meant what I said. I'll forgive you, but I'm still angry with you for what you did!"

Ritsuka was shaking. Jens stared in awe of his bravery, as did Falco and the Zeros. Ritsuka wasn't at all wrong with what he had said. He had the right to walk in his own way. Out of the corner of his eye, Jens saw Soubi step forward to stand beside Ritsuka.

"Don't do this to him, Seimei. You're only going to make him suffer"

"You shut up!" Seimei snapped at his ex-fighter. But Soubi continued.

"He's been through so much. Do you want him to be afraid of you?"

"Ritsuka isn't afraid of me! I ordered you not to speak, and yet here you are still talking. I won't let that go unpunished!" Seimei said angrily

Soubi glared at Seimei. "I won't let you put him through more pain" he said, louder. He turned to Ritsuka. "No matter what happens, Ritsuka, don't believe a word Seimei says!"

"Be quiet!"

"You act like you can control Ritsuka like you controlled me, but Ritsuka is stronger than both of us! He has a mind of his own and he is old enough to make his own decisions"

"Fine then," Seimei said, glaringly menacingly at Soubi, "I'll give him the opportunity. You know, I had planned on bringing you with me, but now I'll just leave you here, you fucking traitor!"

He stepped toward a large window and tapped the glass. It was safety glass, meant to be unbreakable, and a few inches thick. Seimei looked back at Soubi.

"I need you to do something for me before I can leave. I want you to break open this window, since I'm not quite strong enough to do it myself"

Soubi bowed his head and walked forward.

"Heh, even now, you won't disobey me will you? You really are pathetic"

Soubi extended his hand forward towards the window.

"Soubi what are you doing?!" Natsuo shouted

"Guys, get back!" Falco ordered as he pulled the Zeros back from the direction of the window.

"Ritsuka!" Jens called out, running forward. Ritsuka turned as Jens grabbed him and shielded him with his body.

"Seimei, wait!" Ritsuka called out to his brother, but it was too late.

"_Break apart the window that stands in front of me as an obstacle_"

"Shit!" Youji cursed

A massive shockwave shot out from Soubi's direction, making a tremendous noise as it collided with the window. Jens could hear Seimei laughing as the shattered glass rained around him. And then he was gone. Jens released Ritsuka, who ran to look out the broken window. Jens stepped over as well, and saw that no one was in sight. Seimei had simply vanished. He turned after hearing a thud behind him. It came from Soubi, who had collapsed to his knees.

"Forgive me" was all he said.

Falco and the Zeros stepped forward, their footsteps crunching the broken glass.

"It's over" Natsuo said

"Yeah" Falco agreed

"So now what are we supposed to do?" Youji asked looking over at Jens

Jens looked back out the window. The cool winter breeze was blowing in, making him shiver. He looked all around the grounds below, but there was nothing to see. He shoved his hands in his pockets and sighed. Ritsuka was knelt down beside Soubi. Falco, Youji, and Natsuo all were looking to him to say something.

"I don't know" he said finally

"So he's gone?" Natsuo asked, referring to Seimei

"For now, yeah"

Jens walked back to where they all had been standing earlier. He reached down, picked up the Smith and Wesson. He studied the weapon, holding it in his hands as if it were a small, delicate animal. Ritsuka was now looking back at him too. Their eyes met. It seemed that he too was looking for some direction. Jens half smiled, tucking the revolver back into his jeans. I wonder why they all look to me as a leader, he thought to himself.

"About the only thing we can do is let Nagisa know what's happened here"

The Zeros both nodded in agreement. Youji looked over to Ritsuka and Soubi.

"I think you two should come with us" he said

Ritsuka looked up. "Y-yeah, okay. Come on Soubi"

"No" Soubi said meekly

"I'm not angry with you, okay? Let's just go" Ritsuka ordered, pulling lightly on Soubi's coat.

He said nothing as he slowly stood up. His head hung low, Soubi followed behind Ritsuka, not making eye contact with any of the others.

"What's his problem?" Youji asked, eyeing Soubi as he brushed past.

Natsuo only shrugged. Jens led the group out of the library, which trekked back to Nagisa's in silence.

The group of six watched as a flood of security personnel and school staff flooded out the door that led to Nagisa's quarters. As they shuffled past, Jens grabbed a young officer's attention.

"Is Sagan-sensei available?"

"I think so. We just got out of a bit of a meeting with her" the officer informed "I don't know if I'd want to talk with her though; she's not in a good mood right now"

"When is she ever?" Jens replied with a half-laugh

The officer smiled nervously and continued hurriedly on his way. Jens opened the door, stepping in first and holding the door for the others. He gave Soubi a concerned look. He hadn't said a single word since they'd left the library. Something had really messed him up, but as to what that might be, Jens didn't know. Out of respect for his friend, he wouldn't look into his thoughts to find out, either. Natsuo, now at the head of the group, lead them to Nagisa's office. He was about to open the door when Youji stopped him. Natsuo gave his sacrifice a questioning look.

"It's better if I'm the first one she sees" he explained

Natsuo nodded, "Right, she likes you more"

Youji pushed open the door and stepped in. Nagisa immediately bolted up from her desk. By her look of surprise, Youji guessed she had been trying to get a bit of sleep. Surprise wasn't the only expression on her face. In fact, Youji thought she looked absolutely terrible.

"Sensei, are you alright?" he asked

"Do I look alright to you?! I can't even get a few minutes of sleep without my damn office being invaded again!"

"We're sorry, Sensei. We just wanted to report that we were able to successfully complete our mission of expelling Seimei from the school"

Jens stepped forward, "Given the circumstances, this didn't turn out as badly as it could have been. I think we're okay for now"

Nagisa was about to say something when Nana stepped in from her own office.

"I'm glad to see you all are okay" she said with a warm smile. "Falco, would you mind helping me with something? I know you're a whiz kid with computers"

Falco smiled and nodded "Sure, Nana-sama, whatever you need"

He walked in to her office, looking back before closing the door behind him, "I guess I'll see you guys later then"

"Don't work too hard" his brother called after him.

"So why did all of you come here now? Couldn't this wait until morning?" Nagisa asked wearily. Her tone changed as she landed her eyes on Soubi, "And what is _he_doing here?"

She moved to stand in front of Soubi. He towered over her.

"What's the matter with you? You have no reason to be here. You should be with Ritsu!"

"No"

"What do you mean 'No'?"

"No" he said again

"Get out of here!" she barked

"Nagisa, take it easy. He's not himself right now" Jens tried to reason

"I don't care what he is! I don't want him here!"

Jens rolled his eyes. He turned to Ritsuka and Soubi, "I'm sorry guys. Maybe you should wait outside for a minute" he said, "This shouldn't take too long"

Ritsuka nodded and led his fighter out of Nagisa's office. She glared at Soubi as he walked through the door.

"Are you happy now? He's gone" Jens said

Nagisa sat down at her desk and crossed her arms. Jens reached behind his back and withdrew the revolver that she had given him earlier.

"I fired two rounds. Both were warning shots" he said as he placed the weapon on her desk. She glanced at it and back at Jens.

"What a waste. This would have been so much simpler if you would have had it in you to kill him" she spat

Jens glared down at her "Oh really? Would it have been simpler for Ritsuka?"

"He seemed pretty resigned when he thought Seimei was dead the first time!"

"Don't you ever just stop and think before you open your mouth?!" Jens shouted, slamming his fist down on Nagisa's desk.

"Watch it you!" she snapped back

"You really can't handle it when things don't happen to go your way. You're just like a damn child! I guess that fits pretty well since you dress like one!"

"Sh-shut up!"

Jens was about to shout something back when Nana's door flung open.

"Both of you shut up! We're trying to work in here. If you have to argue, find somewhere else to it!" she shouted at the two before firmly slamming the door.

Nagisa fell silent, instead just giving Jens a dirty look. He shook his head and walked out of the office. With everything that happened that evening, the last thing Jens could tolerate was an irate Nagisa. As he stepped out, Youji and Natsuo's stunned eyes followed. No one they knew had ever given it to her like Jens just did. He closed the door behind him and slumped against the wall outside. Ritsuka and Soubi were both standing there as well. Ritsuka looked at Jens with concerned eyes.

"Everything alright?" he asked

"Yeah, it's fine. I just can't deal with her right now" Jens sighed. "What about you two? You okay?"

"I'm okay. I'm just waiting for Soubi to snap out of this"

Jens nodded. "Let me take you two to your room. I'll see if I can find something for you to wear as well"

As they walked back to the school, Jens tried to the keep up the conversation with Ritsuka, since Soubi wasn't showing any signs of speaking up soon.

"So what do you think of Nagisa?"

"My god, that voice…does she always sound like that?"

"For as long as I've known her, yeah. It's really bad over the phone"

"I can imagine"

"With the way she talks and dresses, how old would you say she is?"

"I don't know, maybe around 15 or 16?"

"Add another 15 years to that and you'd be close. She's over 30 years old!"

Ritsuka gave Jens a surprised look.

"Make no mistake though, even with that age, she wasn't what I would call a 'motherly' figure"

"What do you mean?"

"My brother and I were the ones responsible for the majority of Youji and Natsuo's upbringing, since Nagisa couldn't be bothered to do it. I think he and I were lucky to turn out as well as we did after she adopted us"

"I can't imagine growing up with those two"

"Once you get to know them, they really aren't bad at all. And it seems they've certainly taken a liking to you" Jens said with a smile

"Really?"

"Yeah, it's true. They've talked about you quite a bit since we came back here. I'm glad of it too. They're finally making friends!"

Ritsuka smiled, enjoying the warm feeling of someone considering him a friend. In a way, he liked Youji and Natsuo too. Sure, they behaved strangely every now and then, but they seemed to accept him, even if appeared standoffish to most people. He had even missed their company at Soubi's place once they had left.

Jens, Ritsuka and Soubi stopped outside of a door marked with the number 116. Jens pulled out a keycard out of his back pocket and swiped it on the lock before handing it to Ritsuka. He then opened the door and held it for them to enter.

"You guys can stay here tonight. My room's right next door if you need anything. Oh! I almost forgot, you need something to wear. Come with me for a minute"

"Alright, Soubi stay here. I'll be right back"

Soubi said nothing and sat down in an armchair. Ritsuka followed Jens into his and Falco's room. He looked around in awe of the place.

"Wow, it's like an apartment"

"Pretty much, yeah" Jens laughed "If you're hungry I can make you something"

"I'm alright, but thanks"

"Okay then, let me find you something to wear" he replied "You know, I hope you can get him out of whatever mood he's in. I've never seen Soubi like this before"

Jens walked into his and Falco's bedroom and pulled open the closet. He looked through a few boxes of clothes until he found a shirt and pants for Ritsuka to sleep in.

"Those should fit you alright. They were Falco's when he was your age"

"Thanks a lot, Jens" Ritsuka said with a smile

Jens grinned back, "Anytime"

"Guess we should go try and get some sleep"

"It's been quite a day, hasn't it? Well, good night Ritsuka"

Ritsuka smiled and walked out with Soubi. Once they had left, Jens opened his duffel bag and rummaged around until he pulled out a bottle of whiskey.

"Glad I brought this" he said to himself.

He stripped down and changed into a hoodie and jogging pants. He then walked to the kitchen with the whiskey and his iPod. He plugged it into the dock sitting on the counter and put on some soft music. He grabbed a shot glass out of the kitchen cabinet, sat down at the small table, and poured half a glass of the amber liquid. Jens was about to take a drink when the door opened and the Zeros walked in.

"Hey"

"Hey" he replied before knocking back the drink in one go.

"We wanted to stay here again if that's okay with you" Youji said

"Fine with me. Pull up a chair guys. No fun for me to drink alone" Jens joked

They joined the brown haired neko at the table. Jens poured another shot. Youji reached over to the refrigerator and grabbed two bottles of water for himself and Natsuo.

"So what all did you three talk about after I left? Is Nagisa still pissed?"

"Eh, she seemed to cool down a bit after you left with Ritsuka and Soubi. Where are they by the way?" Natsuo asked

"They're staying in the next room" Jens replied. He drank the second shot and poured a third.

"You okay Jens?"

"Yeah, I guess I'm alright. Just thinking is all."

"What about?" Natsuo asked as he leaned in, resting his chin in his hand

"Heh, I guess about everything these past few days. I get a call from Nagisa asking for my brother and I's help, and next thing we know, we're back at the Academy. And now with this whole situation with Seimei tonight. I just didn't think we'd be getting ourselves back into all of this again"

"We never thought we'd be getting involved as much as we are now either" Youji remarked

"It was pretty simple a few months ago, beat Soubi and bring Ritsuka here. That was pretty much it" Natsuo added

"But the question is: did you _want_to be involved with this?" Jens replied

"I guess not a first we didn't. Then again, that changes once you live with somebody who is supposed to be your enemy. It becomes even more complicated once you befriend them. There are obligations then, right?" Youji stated

"Heh, yeah I guess so. I suppose at first I didn't want to get involved with it either at first. Now it feels almost like…" Jens' voice trailed off

"Like what?" Youji asked curiously

"For me, it's been like coming home after being gone for so long" he finally answered, meeting Youji's lavender eyes. "I guess I've never stopped being a fighter"

"Well you haven't actually _fought_anyone yet since you've been back" Natsuo laughed

"Well then maybe if I stick with all of this for a while, that might change, eh?"

"That sounds like the Jensy we know" Youji said with a grin

Jens grinned back before drinking down his third shot, flipping it upside down on the table when he was finished. He stood up, stretched and yawned.

"Well, I'm beat so I'm going to go ahead and get some sleep"

"Yeah, we're pretty tired too" Natsuo agreed


End file.
